Unbreakable Bond
by Zerectica
Summary: Chuck and Sarah share a love and a bond that can never be destroyed.
1. Chapter 1

The moment Sarah awoke she could feel the coldness all around as it consumed and filled her. The spacious queen-sized bed she slept in was only occupied on one side. The other was cold and empty. Again.

Loneliness tore at Sarah's heart. She hated waking up to an empty bed. There should be a warm body next to hers, but there wasn't He wasn't there. He was gone.

Insistent crying emanating from another room pulled Sarah from the cold, lonely bed. Sarah sleepily shuffled her feet toward the sound, her eyes barely focusing on the scene in front of her. It was far too early. The sun wasn't even up yet, but that was nothing new. In fact she was up before the sun so often that she had decided that the sun was just lazy.

Upon reaching the source of the high-pitched wailing, Sarah forced herself to wake up and focused her eyes on the crib in front of her and the tiny, wiggly bundle inside. Gently lifting the young babe into her arms Sarah cradled the precious buddle against her chest.

Settling into the nearby rocker Sarah looked at the baby in her arms. He was eighty-five days old today. Eighty-five days ago little Gabriel entered the world. Tears formed in Sarah's eyes as she thought about that day. The day her only son was born.

Gabriel wasn't her only child however. As she was feeding her son two sets of little feet came running into the room. First into the nursery was her eldest child, five-year-old Abigail. Following closely behind her big sister on her little legs was, Felicity, a bright and precocious three-year-old, who had her father's affinity for computers.

Both of her daughters had her blonde hair and blue eyes. Only Gabriel looked like his father. At least he had his father's deep brown eyes. He still had a bald little head, so she didn't know if he would have his hair or not yet. But whenever she looked at her son she saw her Chuck and it overwhelmed her with emotion.

She wished he was here right now. Wished she knew where he was. What happened to him. But no one knew. He had vanished without a trace seven months ago. No one had been able to find him or any evidence that might indicate what happened the day he disappeared.

May 5th. That was the last day she or anyone else ever saw Chuck. Now it was December, less than a week until Christmas and her husband and the father of her children was still missing. He had never even seen his little boy. Sarah had been only nineteen weeks pregnant when she experienced the worst day of her life. He wasn't there the day she learned their unborn child was a boy. Chuck didn't know that he had a son.

Despite his absence Chuck had gotten to choose his son's name. While discussing names when Sarah was pregnant with their first child, Chuck had decided on the name Gabriel if it was a boy. Instead, they got Abigail and Felicity, his two little princesses. So the instant Sarah learned her last baby was a boy she already knew his name. She gave him the name his father always wanted his son to have.

Suddenly two sets of little arms were wrapped around her and it made Sarah cry. Every day since their father disappeared so unexpectedly her daughters had run through the house in search of her the second they woke up, fearing that one day she might vanish as well. No matter how often she told them that she would always be there and that she would never go away it didn't stop them from seeking her out every morning just to make sure she was really still there.

Another thing her daughters did which also broke her heart was that every day they asked about their father and talked about how much they missed him and wanted him to come home. Now that Christmas had come that wish had grown stronger and more intense.

While on a recent trip to the local mall to visit Santa her daughters asked the big guy in the red suit not for presents or toys, but a miracle. They asked Santa to find their father and return him home for Christmas. As tears welled up in their eyes, they told him the story of how he disappeared one day and that he had never seen their baby brother.

Sarah could see that the man under the costume didn't know how to answer their request and though most of his face was covered by the Santa hair and beard, she saw the heartbreak he tried not to show at their words. When he looked to her for help she blinked away her own tears and wiped the stains from her cheeks. That just seemed to break him even more and after her girls were finished making their plea and got their photo with Santa he tried to bury his emotion as much as possible when he announced to everyone still in line that, 'Santa needed to take a break to check on his reindeer.'

When they returned from the mall that afternoon Sarah had to go the bathroom to 'take a shower' and cried for twenty minutes. She cried for Chuck. She cried for her daughters who believed in the magic of Santa and she cried for her son who had never known his father. Lastly, she cried for her own broken heart.

_After getting herself and her girls dressed, Sarah collapsed on the couch. She was exhausted. Such a simple task shouldn't be so tiring. Whoever was growing inside of her was sucking up all of her energy. Her future son or daughter._

_Chuck noticed how drained she looked and took pity on her, giving her one of his famous foot rubs. He insisted on taking over with the children and doing any chores that needed to be done around the house. He even offered to do all of the grocery shopping himself while the kids were taking their nap._

_Once Abigail and Felicity were settled down for their nap Chuck sat next to Sarah on the couch and brushed his hand through her hair as he pulled her in for a kiss. "Bye sweetheart. I'm going to go get the groceries and pick up a few things I need from Buy More. The kids are asleep, so just take it easy for a while. Maybe take a nap yourself. I'll be back soon. I love you."_

Sarah had no idea that would be the last time she ever saw her husband. That kiss and his last words to her were forever burned into her brain. She relived that moment, that kiss, those words every day. Every night she remembered his touch. And in the first breath of morning a small part of her forgot that he was gone, so when the reality hit her with the second breath it did so with a crushing blow as though it was happening for the first time.

_The house was calm and quiet after Chuck left, an unusual occurrence in a home with two young children, so Sarah soon found herself drifting off to sleep. She slept for a while and when she awoke from her midday nap and noticed the time she began to expect Chuck to return any minute, but he didn't. An hour passed, the girls had long since woken from their own naps and Chuck still wasn't home. Then a second hour went by without Chuck's return. Then another._

_By this time Sarah had grown quite concerned. As much as he loved computers, gadgets and gizmos, not even Chuck could stay at Buy More this long. Not when he wasn't being paid to do so._

_Sarah tried calling Chuck again, but as before it went straight to voicemail. This time when she couldn't get through to Chuck she loaded Abigail and Felicity into her car and decided to go off in search of him. She also needed to feed her children, Chuck had never returned with the groceries._

_First Sarah drove through the grocery store parking lot, but her husband's car wasn't anywhere in the lot. She checked twice. He wasn't here. The result was the same at Buy More. Inside she inquired about him being in the store that day, but no one could confirm having seen him._

_Sarah couldn't drive around the city any longer, for one, she had no idea where to look. Chuck hadn't mentioned going anywhere except Buy More and the grocery store. Second, her babies needed to eat, so she stopped at the nearest family friendly restaurant to get food for Abigail and Felicity._

_After a quick dinner Sarah raced back home to see if Chuck had returned while they were out, but he hadn't. The house was quiet, dark, empty, sad. Fear really began to grip Sarah's heart by this point. Deep down she sensed that something wasn't right. Calls to Ellie and Morgan who hadn't seen or heard from him either, as well as calls to his mother and everyone else she could think of who gave her the same answer, all but confirmed it for her. Something was very, very wrong._

_As soon as she put her daughters to bed Sarah immediately called the police. And she didn't stop there. She also contacted General Beckman, Casey and Verbanski and told them of Chuck's disappearance. Even though Chuck and Sarah stepped away from the CIA years ago, Beckman still employed resources and agents to search for the former asset and spy. To this day Team Bartowski remained the most successful operation in all her years and she would always do whatever she was capable of for any member of the former operation. Casey and Verbanski were also willing do whatever they could to help find Chuck. Gertrude assigned her best men and women to the job._

_Sarah had everyone searching everywhere for her husband. Despite having law enforcement, government agencies and a private spy corporation searching the globe nothing ever came of the search. The case was never closed, but the search drew back as the months passed with no progress._

_It had begun to be assumed that Chuck Bartowski was dead, though no one had any clue as to where his body may be, or his car for that matter. It had never been located either. But Sarah refused to give up until she knew for sure. If her beloved husband was dead then she wanted to know where his body was so that she could give him a proper burial and have a funeral to say her goodbyes._

That first day after his disappearance was the toughest. That was the day she had to tell her daughters, his sister and his friends that Chuck had never come home.

_When Abigail and Felicity woke the following morning and asked, "Where's Daddy?" Sarah sat with them on her bed, holding both girls in her lap as she prepared to give them the heartbreaking news._

"_Abigail, Felicity, sweeties," Sarah began. "Daddy's lost. People are looking for him, but no one knows where he is."_

"_Will they find Daddy?" Abigail asked as she looked up at her mother, her eyes shining with unshed tears._

"_I don't know baby," Sarah answered honestly, not wanting to give her daughters false hope. "I hope so."_

_Felicity sat looking up at Sarah for several seconds before speaking. "Is Daddy dead?"_

_Hearing those words come out of the mouth of her three-year-old shattered Sarah's heart. "I don't know," Sarah answered as her voice broke. "I hope that he's still alive and that someone will find him and bring him home to us. A lot of people are looking for him."_

_For a while all three sat together on the bed quietly sobbing, and silently praying that Chuck would walk through the front door. Of course he didn't and they couldn't sit in bed all day. Sarah had some difficult calls to make. _

_The first call was the toughest, the one she had to make to his sister. The sister who practically raised him after their parents left. "Ellie. It's Sarah..."_

_Based on the call Sarah made yesterday evening Ellie suspected that her sister-in-law was calling about Chuck and that whatever she was about to say probably wasn't good, so her eyes began tearing up before Sarah actually said the words, and told her that her brother had gone missing. By the end of the call both Sarah and Ellie were violently sobbing into the phone._

_Sarah spent the rest of the morning calling Morgan, his mother and some of his other close friends to deliver the upsetting news. By the time Sarah finally finished making all the necessary calls her eyes had become so red and saturated with tears that she couldn't see straight and her cheeks were coated with a thick layer of salty tear tracks._

_That afternoon the Bartowski home was filled with Chuck's family and friends. Everyone Sarah called had gathered to share their pain together. Even Casey and Gertrude where there, who had joined the others at the Bartowski home to talk about Chuck and his disappearance, as well as their hopes for his safe return._

_Many tears were shed that day. There were also lots of questions, none of which Sarah could really answer. All she could say was that Chuck had gone out to run a few errands while she stayed home with the kids and that he never returned. It had been a perfectly ordinary day until the unimaginable happened and Chuck seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth._

_As tough as things were when the house was filled with all of Chuck's friends and family, they were much worse when they were gone. Once it was just Sarah and the children again Chuck's absence became more evident. Without Chuck the house felt so cold, so dreary and so empty. Chuck gave the house life, now without him a dark fog entered._

Seven months of absence. Seven months of heartache. Seven months not knowing. Life had been tough for the Bartowski girls in the months since Chuck vanished. Truthfully, they would rather know that he was dead than live with the haunting mystery of never knowing what happened to him.

When Sarah finished feeding her son and tending to the rest of his needs Sarah turned her attention to her daughters. Each of their faces had a faint sheen of tears. After Sarah lovingly wiped the tears from Abigail and Felicity's faces, they reached up to wipe the tears from her own face.

Exiting the nursery and entering the living room the Christmas tree standing in the corner caught everyone's eye. It was Christmastime. The house was supposed to be filled with love and cheer. The love was there, so much of it filled the house. But the cheer seemed to have vanished with Chuck.

The Bartowski family didn't know how to have Christmas without the original Bartowski. Christmas was his favorite holiday. Before Chuck, Sarah didn't really care for Christmas. Growing up it was a day to pull a con job with her father, something so not in the spirit of the holiday. But Chuck taught her how to enjoy Christmas, just as he had done with their daughters.

Chuck made Christmas special and Sarah wanted to do that for her daughters, and now her son as well, but she didn't know if she could do it without Chuck. But in that moment Sarah resolved herself to try, for her children.

Sarah thought about the things Chuck liked to do around the holidays. One of those things was watching Christmas movies with the kids. That was something she could do, so Sarah looked through Chuck's vast movie collection and found the Charlie Brown Christmas movie he had watched with them every year since they were born.

Before starting the movie Sarah made a special pancake breakfast, using Christmas-themed cookie cutters to create fun shapes of gingerbread men, snowmen, reindeer and Christmas trees. And to look like snow, she sprinkled them with powdered sugar. Sarah also let Abigail and Felicity sit in the living room so that they could eat their Christmas pancakes while watching the movie, something they were only allowed to do at Christmas.

As her daughters ate their pancakes and watched Charlie Brown Sarah saw smiles grace their faces. Smiles had become rare and precious commodities in house ever since they lost Chuck, so seeing those beautiful smiling faces warmed Sarah's heart.

Later that afternoon while Gabriel lay nearby in the floor playing with a couple of toys, Sarah and her daughters were in the kitchen making Christmas cookies. They used a pre-made dough since Sarah didn't really know much about making cookies from scratch, but the girls decorated the cookies themselves. Baking together in the kitchen added a bit more cheer to the home, with smiles and laughter, lifting the spirits of herself and her children, even if just for today.

Though the day began with sadness and tears in the end there were more smiles and laughter. A first in the Bartowski home in a long time. When Sarah put her kids to bed that night they told her that they had fun today, which caused her to shed the first happy tear she had experienced since before Chuck went missing.

Throughout the days remaining until Christmas the Bartowski family found little reasons to smile, whether it was by participating in Christmas activities or something baby Gabriel did to make them laugh. Despite the smiles and the laughter Chuck was never forgotten and Abigail and Felicity never gave up hope in their belief that Santa would bring their father home for Christmas.

Sarah worried how her daughters would react when Santa couldn't deliver Chuck for Christmas. They believed so strongly that Santa was magic and could do the impossible. When that didn't happen Sarah feared it would crush them.

On Christmas Eve Sarah barely got any sleep and not just because she spent half the night playing Santa, wrapping presents for her children and dealing with 2:00 A.M. feedings. Even with all that done Sarah still didn't sleep because she couldn't stop thinking about her daughters and how they would feel in the morning when their father wasn't there.

Christmas morning arrived and Sarah, who hadn't slept very well, was up at the first sign of light. She had already lit the colorful lights on the tree and turned on some quiet Christmas music to set the Christmas mood for when her children awoke.

Gabriel was the first of Sarah's children to wake up on the holiday morning, right on schedule for his next feeding. It was still pretty early when Sarah finished feeding her son and getting him dressed in his adorable Christmas outfit, so she had time to reflect on the fact that Chuck had now missed out on the first 91 days of their son's life before her daughters sprang out of bed to see what they had gotten from Santa.

Sarah's heart constricted in her chest as tried to imagine how her daughters would react when they learned that Santa hadn't gotten them the one thing they wanted, their father. She hoped the lure of shiny wrapped packages nestled under the tree would keep them from experiencing a total breakdown.

Dressed in their Christmas pajamas Abigail and Felicity ran into the room giggling, and Sarah cautiously smiled. When they turned to her and asked, "Where's Daddy?" however, her face fell. When they started calling his name and looking around, a tear fell from her eyes.

"Abigail. Felicity. Come here sweethearts," Sarah said softly.

"Santa didn't bring Daddy?" Abigail asked.

"No he didn't," Sarah answered as her girls curled up on the couch beside her.

"Daddy's never coming home?" Felicity asked in an understanding that seemed beyond her years. Her words almost seemed like a statement, more than a question.

"Maybe not, baby," Sarah answered sadly. "He's been gone for a long time now and he still hasn't been found."

After a pause Sarah added, "But even if Daddy never comes back I think he would want us to be happy, especially on Christmas."

"We don't have to forget Daddy, do we?" a tearful Abigail asked.

"No sweetie. We'll never forget Daddy. Even if we never see him again he will always be in our hearts. We still have all of our memories of Daddy and with those memories we'll always remember him."

"There's something else I want you two to remember…," Sarah said looking at both Abigail and Felicity who were seated on either side of her. "Daddy loves you very much. No matter where he is, you are always with him, in his heart."

"You too Mommy, and Gabriel?"

"Yes, we're all in Daddy's heart, and he would never want us to be sad. So we should try to be happy for Daddy. Do you think you can do that? For Daddy? And Mommy?"

Both girls nodded their heads, agreeing to do their best to be happy even if their father was gone from their lives forever. They also asked Sarah to make the same promise, to try to be happy for Daddy.

"Yes, Mommy will try to be happy too. Now do you two want to open your presents and see what Santa brought you?"

Abigail and Felicity's faces lit up as they suddenly seemed to remember that Christmas meant there were presents and new toys waiting them. Jumping off the couch they ran over to the tree to look at all of the festively-wrapped gifts under the glow of the Christmas tree.

Barely able to contain their excitement they began tearing into the presents the moment Sarah joined them in front of the tree with their baby brother. As they were unwrapping their presents, they came upon a new name in the pile of gifts, Gabriel. Santa had brought stuff for their new little brother too.

Holding up the present, Abigail exclaimed, "Look Mommy! Santa brought presents for Gabriel too!"

"That's very nice of Santa. Why don't you help open it for your brother?"

"I wanna help too, Mommy," Felicity said, slightly pouting.

"You can both open it together and show Gabriel what he got."

Liking this solution Abigail and Felicity sat in front of Sarah who was holding Gabriel in her lap and started ripping the paper as he watched. When they had ripped away all the paper they gave him the stuffed lamb they found inside and told their brother that Santa had gotten him a new toy.

Gabriel didn't understand what his sisters were saying but he did like the toy they gave him and a big smile crossed his face as he clutched the animal's leg in his tiny fist. Seeing that smile caused Abigail and Felicity to smile as well. "He likes his present Mommy!"

"Yes, he does," Sarah said smiling, happy to see the long absent joy in all three of her children. Wanting to see that joy continue she then added, "Go see what else Santa left for you under the tree."

Turning their attention back to the tree Abigail and Felicity continued opening their gifts and working together to open the ones for Gabriel. Toys and piles of colorful paper littered the floor as the number of presents under the tree diminished. Each new unwrapped gift, filling the house with smiles and joy.

When all of the presents under the tree were opened Abigail and Felicity ran out of the room and returned a moment later, each carrying a colorful piece of construction paper in their hands. As they gave Sarah the drawings they had made for her they said, "Merry Christmas Mommy!"

Sarah looked at each of the pictures her daughters gave her and smiled. "Thank you Abigail and Felicity. I love them. I'll have to put these up on the refrigerator."

Pleased that their mother liked their gifts, Abigail and Felicity beamed with pride and told her how much they loved her as they wrapped their arms around her neck. They then decided to help their mother out by putting their drawings on the refrigerator themselves.

Later that morning after the wrapping paper had been cleaned up and Abigail and Felicity were playing with their new toys, Sarah put Gabriel, who had fallen asleep following the morning's excitement, down for a nap. As she sat in the nursery watching her son sleep and listening to her daughters laugh and play Sarah knew they would be okay. Even if they never saw Chuck again or even if they never learned what happened to him they would find a way to be okay and go on with their lives because that is what he would want.

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><p><em><strong>AN: This story is currently a one-shot, but could possibly be expanded into a longer story. And to all the readers out there, Merry Christmas.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Merry Christmas Everyone! Many of you wished to see this story turn into a multi-chapter piece, well now it has. Enjoy and have a wonderful day!_**

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><p>December had come to an end and the new year had arrived. With the new year came the return to school. Sarah spent that first morning back rushing around, trying to get all of her children and herself ready. Today also marked Sarah's first day back at work since giving birth to her son.<p>

Being away from her baby all day was going to be very difficult. She had never been away from him since the day he was born. He had hardly ever even been held by anyone else. She had always kept Gabriel close, a large part of which had to do with what happened to Chuck.

Finally Sarah got everyone ready and loaded into the car with just enough time to get everyone where they were supposed to be on time. Sarah heaved a heavy sigh as she started the car's engine. This was a lot easier when she only had two kids and when she had Chuck to help.

After dropping Abigail off at the elementary school and Felicity at preschool, Sarah drove to the home of Mary Bartowski. This would be her hardest goodbye of the morning. Saying goodbye to her son for the first time.

Reaching the home of her missing husband's mother, Sarah grabbed the diaper bag filled with everything her son might need. She then gathered Gabriel himself into her arms and made the painful walk to the front door.

Cradling her son in her arms Sarah hesitated for a few moments before knocking on the door. Mary answered the door far too quickly for Sarah's liking. She wanted to hold onto her baby for as long as she could. Immediately upon opening the door Mary began eyeing Gabriel, but Sarah wasn't ready to hand him over just yet. Instead, Sarah gave her the diaper bag and went over everything she thought Mary might need to know.

When Sarah couldn't stall any longer she reluctantly handed her tiny son over to his grandmother. "I'll be back on my lunch break to feed him. He should be okay until then. Call me if you or Gabriel need me for any reason."

Giving her son one final kiss Sarah told him that she loved him and that she would see him very soon.

The workday was long and Sarah found herself counting the seconds until she could see her son. She couldn't wait to hold him in her arms and kiss his sweet face. On her lunch break Sarah raced over to Mama Bartowski's house to see her baby.

When she saw Gabriel her face lit up. He was perfect, just like she remembered. Just perfect. Taking her son into her arms Sarah's heart melted as his little face split into a big toothless grin. He was just as happy to see her as she was to see him.

After spending some time with her little boy and feeding him, leaving him for the second time that day was even harder. She wished she could spend all day with him, but she couldn't. So after showering him with kisses, Sarah reluctantly said goodbye again.

Back at work Sarah's thoughts once more turned to Gabriel. No matter how much experience she had leaving in one of her babies in the care of someone else for the first time it was always hard. She always ended up thinking about her baby constantly and looking forward to the moment her baby was back in her arms, no matter how busy she might be or how much fun she might be having.

Following a very long day Sarah was finally headed out of work and on her way to being reunited with her son. She couldn't wait to reach him. Images of little Gabriel flooded her mind as she drove to her mother-in-law's house.

Arriving at the house Sarah hurried up to the front door and knocked. This time, though Mary answered the door after approximately the same length of time as this morning, it was far too long for her liking.

Gabriel wasn't in her arms when she answered the door, but right on her heels, jumping with excitement were Abigail and Felicity. Mary had picked the girls up at the end of the school day and added them to collection of grandchildren she was babysitting, which she didn't mind at all. She loved spending time with all of her grandbabies, especially Chuck's kids. Now that Chuck was missing, those children were the closest thing she had to having Chuck in her life.

"Mommy!" both girls squealed upon seeing her standing on the other side of the door.

Hey Abigail. Felicity," Sarah said crouching down to the floor to give her girls a hug.

After hugging her girls Sarah entered the house to find her little boy. Apparently he was looking for her as well, because when she got inside he started fussing. Picking up speed Sarah made her way through Mama Bartowski's house toward the sound of her baby's crying.

Scooping the crying child up into her arms, Sarah kissed his forehead and began trying to soothe him. The mere presence of his mother's comforting arms reduced Gabriel's tears to a mere whimper. After just about a minute of walking around with her son and gently bouncing him, Gabriel had settled down and closed his eyes.

With Gabriel now sleeping contentedly Sarah, along with some help from Mary, got all of her kids and their belongings loaded up into the car to go home. Gabriel was still asleep when they arrived at Casa Bartowski, as Chuck sometimes liked to call home, so Sarah put him down in his crib and got her girls busy with other activities. Once Sarah had all three of her children either asleep or otherwise engaged she went to the kitchen to start dinner.

Things were going along quite well… for about five minutes. Then Gabriel woke up and started crying and Abigail and Felicity lost interest in what they were doing and wanted Mommy to entertain them. To avoid burning the food or burning down the house Sarah had to stop cooking and deal with her kids.

First she got Gabriel out of his crib and sat with him in the rocker to feed him. While Gabriel was busy eating Sarah began telling her daughters a story. She told them a story about the beautiful spy and her nerdy Prince Charming, which were their favorite stories. This one was about how the beautiful spy fought her way through an entire country to save her love from evil, mad scientists.

Eventually Sarah was able to get back to cooking, though not without a few more interruptions. Being a single mother, which Sarah had recently come to realize described her, with three very young kids was quite a tough job. It seemed that all three of them would need her at the same time for something. It was also usually when she was busy with some other task, like today when she was in the middle of making dinner. It was times like these when Sarah really wished that Chuck was around to help tackle simultaneous demands.

Sarah of course loved all three of her babies and wouldn't trade them for anything, not even Chuck's safe return. Though, she would be willing to trade all of her possessions to have him back in her life. Her children were her greatest joy and all that wondrous joy and the precious moments she shared with them made all of the tough aspects of the job worth it.

Dinner time with small children was loud and messy. The table was always full of excited chatter and not a single moment was ever left unaccounted for. If you were looking for a quiet meal, you wouldn't find it here. If you were a neat freak this also would not be the place for you, because there was _always_ a mess. Messy table. Messy hands. Messy faces. Sarah always had a lot of cleaning up to do after dinner, starting with her kids before they could spread the mess even further. But the conversations around the table were so wonderful that she didn't mind the mess that came afterward.

Then there was bedtime, and that was always tough because no one ever wanted to go to bed. Before Gabriel was born and before Chuck went missing, this was already true, so not much had changed there. But when Chuck was still in their lives story time before bed was different. That had changed. Before, Sarah would read a story to one of their girls and Chuck would read one to the other. The next night they would switch. Now that Chuck was gone Abigail and Felicity were the ones who were switching. One night Abigail would choose the story and the next it was Felicity's choice.

Life was different now, but the Bartowski girls were starting to settle into a life without Chuck. It wasn't what they wanted and they still missed him, but they were learning to accept their new normal.

Chuck no longer occupied every thought in their minds, but he was far from forgotten. Now when Sarah, Abigail or Felicity thought of him they remembered all the wonderful, happy times they had shared rather than focusing on all the negative aspects that surrounded his departure from their lives. Thoughts of Chuck now sparked more smiles than tears.

Abigail and Felicity would often tell their baby brother stories about all the fun times they shared with Chuck and that he 'was the best daddy in the whole world.' Gabriel may have been too young to understand the stories, but he loved to hear any stories told to him by one of his sisters or his mother. They always sounded so happy during story time which made him happy too.

As the week went on the new Bartowski family started to fall into a routine and their daily lives began to run smoother, especially when it came to getting everyone to school and work on time. It even started getting a little easier to leave baby Gabriel in his grandmother's care during the day. Sarah still hated to be away from him, but she knew that he was in good hands with her. Mary would give him all of the love and care that he needed and would build a wonderful relationship with her grandson.

When the weekend came along Sarah was happy that she would be able to spend two uninterrupted days with all three of her children. Saturday was spent at the park, where Abigail and Felicity ran around in the grass laughing and playing. Sarah and Gabriel sat nearby under the shade of a tree with a few books and toys. The Bartowski family also had a picnic in the park, after which Abigail and Felicity were treated to an ice cream cone.

Sunday was spent indoors at home playing games and watching a couple movies together, due to a mid-morning rainstorm which lasted until the late afternoon hours. Despite being trapped indoors all day, fun was had. Sarah pulled out some board games for the first time in a long while and they even played an indoor version of hide-and-seek. All in all they had a pretty good weekend and everyone was sad to see it end tomorrow when they had to return to work and school.

Getting everyone to bed that night was a little more difficult than usual because they wanted the weekend to last as long as possible, but following story time and a couple delaying tactics, Sarah finally got both of her girls into their beds for the night. Gabriel however was another story. Sarah tried feeding him, changing him, singing a lullaby and rocking him, but nothing worked. Instead, Gabriel continued to cry and fuss as he tried to fight sleep.

Concerned that her son's cries would wake her daughters Sarah carried Gabriel out of the nursery, which was right next to their room and started walking around the house, bouncing the three-month-old. She hoped the act of walking her son around the house and bouncing him gently in her arms would lull him to sleep. It had worked before and so far nothing else was doing the trick.

However Sarah didn't get much of a chance to try. She had only really begun walking and bouncing when she heard the doorbell ring. Glancing at the nearest clock Sarah wondered who would be visiting at this hour.

The chime of the doorbell did nothing to soothe Gabriel, so Sarah headed for the front door as quickly as possible. Juggling her son around until she was securely holding him with one arm, Sarah unlocked the door and turned the knob. As she pulled the door open Sarah prepared to give the evening visitor a piece of her mind for disturbing her so late and upsetting her son, however she was stunned into silence when she saw who was standing in front of her.

The short, redheaded, older woman stood perfectly straight, impeccably dressed in her uniform and was surrounded by armed men dressed in suits, with earpieces and dark glasses. "Good evening Ms. Walker. May I speak with you privately?"

Normally Sarah would correct anyone who called her 'Walker,' informing them that her name was 'Bartowski,' but General Beckman had always called her Walker and besides she was far more interested in what she had to say than discussing her name. So Sarah simply stepped aside, still bouncing her fussy baby in her arms, to allow the NSA General into her home.

Upon entering the house and once the door was shut Beckman took in her surroundings, the furniture, the décor and the family photos depicting two of her former agents and their children. The General tried to hide her feelings regarding seeing Agent Walker as a mom, but having worked with her for years Sarah knew her well enough that she wasn't quite successful.

"General, this fussy little guy is Gabriel. If you'll excuse me for a moment I'll see if I can quieten him down so that you can tell me the reason for your visit."

Sarah left Beckman standing in her living room while she disappeared into the nursery. She returned after about a minute, still carrying Gabriel in her arms, only now he was wrapped up in a blanket and had a pacifier in his mouth, which was keeping him calm… for now. Sarah knew that likely wouldn't last long, but she hoped it would work long enough for Beckman to say what she needed to say.

Bouncing and rocking her son in her arms Sarah stood in front of the General as she waited to hear what she had to say.

"Walker, we found Bartowski."

Sarah could tell from the General's tone and expression that there was more that she wasn't saying. That she didn't want to say.

After a pause, she continued, saying the difficult words. "It's not good."

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><p><em><strong>AN: Well there it is, the second chapter of this now expanded story. I hope you liked this continuation and look for the next chapter soon.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Happy New Year Everyone! A new chapter for the new year!**_

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><p>Sarah couldn't sleep as General Beckman's words echoed through her mind. <em>We found Bartowski. It's not good.<em> She hadn't said much more than that. Beckman wouldn't give her any details. All she would say was that Chuck had been transferred to a CIA medical facility.

Beckman hadn't told her where Chuck had been found or what had happened to him, so she had had no way of knowing what condition he was in, but the words _medical facility_ told her one thing. Chuck must still be alive. If he wasn't, Beckman probably would have shown up to deliver his body, not news. That gave her a tiny sliver of cautious hope, but just barely because the words, _It's not good_, continued to fill her brain.

Those words haunted her. They were so ominous and could mean any number of horrendous things. She wished that she could be with him right now, that she didn't have to lie here imagining whatever torturous things her mind came up with, but here she was, unable to go to him. The reason? Well, there were three of them, all tucked into bed and dreaming sweet dreams. She was a mother now and she couldn't just go anywhere or do whatever she pleased at the drop of a hat. Her needs and wants no longer came first, theirs did. She couldn't drag them out of bed in the middle of the night just because she wanted something.

That night for Sarah was spent locked in a vicious cycle. It began with lying awake, thinking of all the awful things that might have happened to Chuck. Followed by having terrifying nightmares when she finally fell asleep, which jolted her awake in a cold sweat. At which point the cycle started all over again. She was trapped, whether she was awake or asleep the nightmares followed her.

Mercifully and unmercifully at the same time, morning finally arrived. Sarah was completely exhausted, but relieved that she would finally have something other than the nightmares to focus her attention on, namely her children.

It was a busy morning, busier than most. In addition to needing to feed all of her children, get them dressed and make sure that her two oldest had everything they would need for school, she also had to prepare an extra bag with a few other items, just in case. Plus, she had to figure out where she had put the very rarely used bottles and her pump. Filling them with milk would have to wait until later.

Finally Sarah thought she had everything she needed for her kids. Before leaving Sarah sat down with her girls to explain that she might be a little late in picking them up from grandma's house today after school and that she had packed a bag with some of their favorite toys and a few other items for them to have at grandma's that afternoon.

Upon arriving at Mary's home after dropping Abigail and Felicity off at school she explained the same thing to her. She also took the time while there to fill the bottles up with milk and to call in to work to explain that she wouldn't be able to come in today due to an emergency situation.

Shortly thereafter Sarah was on a private plane with General Beckman, on her way to the medical facility to which Chuck had been taken. The closer they got the more anxious Sarah became because she had no idea what she would find when she got there. She was also nervous about seeing Chuck again for the first time in so long, a feeling which she couldn't quite explain.

Sarah didn't know how long the flight was. The concept of time had gotten lost in the haze of her mind. However long it took they were here now. She was minutes away from learning more about what had happened to her husband. Well, actually it would probably be quite bit longer than 'just a few minutes' due to all the security checkpoints they would have to go through to be given clearance into various parts of the building.

Right now Sarah wished that she was still an officially employed CIA agent. Then these security checkpoints wouldn't take so long. Even being personally escorted by General Diane Beckman herself didn't do much to speed things up.

After filling out a ton of paperwork, answering lots of questions, being searched and put through a highly-sophisticated lie detector and having her picture and fingerprints taken she was finally allowed access to the area where Chuck was being held. All of that took over an hour to complete, which drained Sarah both physically and emotionally.

She was already tired due to a lack of sleep, and being so close to Chuck, and yet not being able to actually see him, really took a toll on her wellbeing. Not to mention that she would have to miss Gabriel's feedings today and that she had no idea when she would be back home with him and his sisters. There was also the worry she felt over how they would feel when she didn't come to get them until after dark, or Mary's feelings for that matter. Sarah hadn't told her what she was doing because she didn't want to tell her about Chuck when she had no information to give her.

If she could just see Chuck then maybe all of this anxiety and hurt would be worth it. But then again maybe it would make it worse. Part of Sarah wanted to turn around and run back out the door and forget everything that had happened since Beckman appeared at her door yesterday evening. Another part of her wanted to run straight through the walls to get to her beloved Chuck, no matter what she would find when she reached him.

The moment had almost come. Just ahead Sarah could see the door that led into the room in which Chuck was being kept. As she moved closer all of her surroundings disappeared, the walls and floor around her, every voice, every sound. Nothing else existed except that door.

Reaching the door Sarah didn't hesitate to pull it open and burst into the room. Once inside the room Sarah immediately sought out her long-missing husband. A quick scan located him by the wall behind the door.

When she saw Chuck she barely recognized him and that wasn't due to his prolonged absence from her life. His skin, especially on his face was cold and ashen. His face was sunken to the point that you could see the bones in his cheeks. The rest of his body had begun to wither away as well and he had lost a lot of muscle mass. It was clear that Chuck hadn't been eating much and was malnourished.

The sight broke Sarah's heart and her eyes flooded with tears. Her poor husband looked so fragile. Blinking away her tears, Sarah remembered the nightmares that had haunted her dreams. The reality wasn't as bad as those nightmares had been so she tried to calm herself. It was bad, but it wasn't something they couldn't handle. They would just have to make sure that Chuck ate enough to build his health and strength back up.

Crossing the room to sit on the edge of Chuck's bed, Sarah gently placed her hand on his pale, hollow cheek, careful to not disturb the feeding tube running though his nose. "Hey Chuck. I'm here."

Sarah's tender reunion with Chuck was interrupted just at that moment when Beckman came into the room. Silently walking across the room the General didn't say anything until she had reached the bed and placed her hand on Sarah's shoulder, which the former agent found to be unusual.

"He doesn't know that you're here Walker. He doesn't even know that he's here."

Beckman's words didn't make any sense to Sarah. How could he not know that she was here or that he himself was here in this CIA hospital? He wasn't asleep or in a coma, so what did she mean?

Removing her hand from Sarah's shoulder General Beckman moved to the far corner of the room and indicated to Sarah that she should follow. Reluctant to leave Chuck, but following the General's silent orders Sarah joined her in the dark corner. Sarah, still having the blood of a spy noted that there were no cameras in this part of the room and realized that whatever Beckman was going to say was probably top secret.

"We've been able to gather more intel regarding Bartowski's disappearance. He was taken and held captive by enemy agents who had apparently staked out various Buy More locations in and around the area surrounding Burbank. Their goal was to capture the human Intersect."

Sarah felt her heart tighten as the General began to explain where Chuck had been these past eight months. She felt like she might collapse and wanted something to hold onto, but there was nothing around to grab. Instead she stiffened up and prepared herself for the continued horror.

"We found him locked in a tiny, dimly lit room, which was empty except for an old wooden chair, a tarp and a few pieces of cardboard which we believe he used for a bed."

With each word things got worse and worse. Beckman continued to explain that they had been intensely questioning one of the captured enemy agents, one of the few who hadn't been killed during the mission. From that captured agent they had so far learned that Chuck was forced to flash day and night and that to make him give up the information he was kept highly drugged with a powerful truth serum and a mixture of other cocktails that made him complacent, agreeable and lethargic so that he would be easy to control.

Sarah surmised that during his captivity Chuck had barely received any food or water and that his captors weren't concerned with his health or wellbeing, only the computer inside his head. He had largely been treated as a machine and was only given the minimum care needed to keep the Intersect functioning, whether or not the human part of him did.

Still, Sarah didn't understand Beckman's previous statement that Chuck was unaware of her presence or his own. He had been through unimaginable horrors she had learned, but that still didn't explain what Beckman had said as she sat at his bedside. But she was about to find out.

"When we got to Bartowski he was in a catatonic-like state. He wouldn't respond to any questions asked of him during the rescue. The reports indicate he just sat there unmoving. Even now he has yet to move or say anything. I have even personally approached Mr. Bartowski and he still would not respond despite seeing a familiar face. We don't know what triggered his current state or if he'll recover."

Tears started to burn Sarah's eyes as she tried not to cry in front of the General. Turning away Sarah raced back to Chuck's side as she let the tears flow. This was worse than her nightmares. Her Chuck was gone and she didn't know if she would ever get him back.

Once again at her husband's bedside Sarah really noticed his eyes for the first time. Those weren't the eyes she knew and loved. Chuck's eyes were open wide, almost like he was frozen in mid-flash. They were also glassed over, devoid of any light or life.

It broke Sarah's heart to see her beloved husband like this. He had to recover. She needed him. His children needed him. His mother and his sister and so many others needed him as well. He just had to recover.

As hot tears streamed down her face Sarah gently touched Chuck's cheek once more and softly kissed his forehead. Then in a whisper meant only for him she said, "I love you Chuck. Please come back to me."

To give Sarah some privacy General Beckman left the room and instructed that she was not to be disturbed. After Sarah was left alone with the catatonic shell that was once her husband she finally allowed herself to collapse and just cried. She cried and cried until she had cried out every single tear in her body.

Sarah remained at Chuck's side for about an hour, just holding his hand and talking to him. She told him that he had a son now and that his name was Gabriel. She talked about how much Abigail and Felicity had grown since he disappeared and how much they missed him. She didn't care if he couldn't hear her and continued to talk to him anyway.

Then after that hour Sarah made the painful rise to her feet. She wished she could stay with Chuck. She never wanted to leave his side, but she had three little ones at home that needed their mommy more than she needed Chuck and more than he needed her.

Before leaving Sarah leaned in to kiss his forehead one more time and said, "I'll come back sweetheart. I promise."

After finally finding her husband after so long, walking away from him after only spending an hour with him was really hard for Sarah. In fact it was one of the hardest things she ever had to do, but she had to return home to her kids before they got too worried about her and started to think that she had now disappeared as well.

Soon Sarah was back on the private plane, minus Beckman, and was being escorted back home. Arrangements had already been made for Sarah to return that weekend, so she knew it wouldn't be too long before she could see Chuck again. She just wished she could bring her children as well, but the facility was top secret and only she had been given clearance, not her kids, not Ellie and not even his mother.

As a former spy herself Mary would understand that, but no one else would, so Sarah would be unable to share the news that Chuck had been found with anyone other than his mother. Until Chuck was released from the CIA hospital, to everyone else he was still missing. Not telling them would be hard, but it would be even harder to tell them that they couldn't see him.

By the time the flight ended Sarah had been able to clean herself up and compose herself enough that no one would know that she had been crying. When she arrived at her mother-in-law's house a short time later a genuine smile crossed her face because she knew she was going to get to see her babies.

Ringing the doorbell Sarah waited to be reunited with her children. A short time later Mary answered the door and greeted her in a whisper, "Hey, everyone just fell asleep. The girls are on the couch and Gabriel is in the bedroom."

Entering the house Sarah saw her little princesses curled up on opposite sides of the couch, each cuddling a beloved stuffed animal. Abigail and Felicity looked so adorable sleeping together on the couch that she didn't want to disturb them. Instead she asked Mary if she had a blanket and gently laid it over her girls. She then ever-so-lightly brushed their hair from their faces and kissed their foreheads.

"Sweet dreams little angels," Sarah whispered as she gazed at her daughters for another moment before going to check on her son in the other room.

Sarah found her little boy sleeping peacefully in a bassinet, as he contentedly sucked on his favorite pacifier. He too was just far too adorable to disturb, so like his sisters she gave him a feather-light kiss and wished him sweet dreams.

Now she was stuck. If she woke her children up now she would probably never get them back to sleep which would lead to a long night and cranky kids in the morning. She couldn't just go home and leave them either. Having to get the girls ready for school in the morning would be too much to put on Mary and her girls would be so terrified and upset if she wasn't there. The only option was to try to get everyone into the car, back home and into bed without waking anyone up. Achieving that goal would be no easy feat.

Before she attempted any of that however Sarah was hungry. She hadn't eaten anything for dinner yet and Mary had thoughtfully put a plate of food up for her when she and the girls had dinner earlier. So first, Sarah was going to sit down to eat.

After finishing her meal Sarah insisted on washing her dishes despite Mary's protestations that she didn't need to do that. She had already done so much for her today that Sarah wanted to repay her in some small way to thank her for taking care of her children.

With her kids asleep it also gave Sarah the most ideal opportunity she would ever have to tell Mary about Chuck. She was his mother. She deserved to know what had happened to him.

By the time Sarah finished relaying what she had learned at the CIA hospital both she and Mary were sobbing. When she mentioned her plans to go visit him, Mary placed her hand over Sarah's and said, "Don't worry Sarah. Spend as much time with Chuck as you can this weekend. The grandkids and I will have a slumber party."

"Thank you. The kids are so lucky to have you in their lives and so am I. I don't know how I would get through this without you."

Now it was getting late and Sarah needed to get home and relieve Mary of grandma duty. Starting with her eldest, Sarah began gingerly gathering her children into her arms, slowly carrying them to the car and gently settling them into their car seats. The task took twice as long as usual since she was trying not to wake anyone, but Sarah finally got all three of her babies into the car without disturbing their sleep.

Back at home Sarah repeated the same process in reverse. For a moment she worried that Felicity would wake up when she lifted her head and let out a soft moan while Sarah was carrying her to bed, but she simply turned her head the other direction and settled back down. Sarah was successful in her mission and now she was ready for bed herself despite the early hour.

Morning came and life in the Bartowski home fell back into the familiar routine before Chuck was found. Sarah helped everyone get dressed and ready for the day, made breakfast for the family and fed baby Gabriel. The girls were dropped off at school and her youngest at his grandma's house before she headed into work. Sarah was back to feeding Gabriel herself and everyone was picked up at the end of the workday. From the outside everything seemed normal, only Sarah and his mother knew that Chuck was lying catatonic in a government hospital.

Evenings were spent together as a family, sharing fun times and building memories. Sarah tried to squeeze as much time in with her kids as possible because she knew that for the first time ever she would be spending the whole weekend away from them while she visited their father in the hospital. She wanted those memories for herself and for her kids to hang onto until she returned.

Friday as Sarah prepared to fly out to the CIA hospital where Chuck was being cared for, she hugged and kissed all three of her children, told each of them how much she loved them and to have fun with Grandma. She thanked Mary for taking the kids for the weekend and promised to let her know how Chuck was doing and if he showed any signs of improvement. Then with a wave goodbye she was on her way.

Several hours later Sarah had arrived at the secure medical facility and was escorted inside. Having already supplied all of the necessary information and procuring an id badge on her first visit, Sarah was able to get through the security checkpoints and in to see Chuck much quicker this time and with less hassle.

Everything was the same as before, even Chuck. Nothing had changed. Chuck still sat in his room, catatonic and unavailable to the outside world. His once beautiful eyes remained glassed over and his body still suffered the effects of malnourishment.

Sarah learned that his only movements occurred on a strict schedule when he would get up, walk to the bathroom on autopilot and return exactly two minutes later. None of the people looking after Chuck had been able to get him to eat anything, despite their continued offerings, so the feeding tube remained his only source of nutrition.

Experts from many fields continued to work around the clock to discover what was causing Chuck's catatonic-like state, but so far there had been no success. Much of the problem stemmed from the fact that no one really knew how the Intersect functioned and affected a human host. Chuck had been the only person to successfully download the Intersect and continue to live a normal life with the computer in his head. So there were no other case studies to examine and the creators of the Intersect were dead, leaving everyone at a loss.

The only true expert on the Intersect, and in particular a human Intersect was Chuck himself, who was unable to provide any answers and therefore resulted in a stalemate. Without Chuck there was little hope in understanding the issue and without help Chuck couldn't offer the knowledge locked in his mind.

Despite the dismal situation Sarah refused to give up hope. And it was for those very reasons which made things seem so hopeless that gave Sarah hope. Chuck was unique in his ability to handle the Intersect and Sarah was convinced that _that_ is what would save him in the end. That and the deep love she felt for him. She would never give up fighting for him.

Like during her first visit earlier in the week, Sarah sat by Chuck's bedside and talked to him while she held his hand. It was hard to see Chuck sit there motionless with his glassed-over eyes and sunken face, so instead Sarah concentrated on his hand. If she looked at his face for too long it would break her.

As she sat with Chuck, Sarah talked about nothing in particular. She relayed different anecdotes about the kids. She talked about the weather and his hospital room. As long as she was talking to him she didn't have to cry.

Throughout the day various people tried to interact with Chuck and to get him to engage in any kind of activity. They attempted to get him to eat, take a walk, say something, move an arm or leg, wiggle a toe, but Chuck never reacted in any way. Occasionally doctors or scientists would come into the room to check on his vitals or run some tests. All day his room bustled with activity while Chuck remained rigid and lifeless.

Sarah spent most of the day in Chuck's room, leaving only to eat or to call her kids to check in on them or wish them goodnight. She even slept in his room, curling up in a chair next to the bed. It wasn't very comfortable, but she wasn't leaving. She hadn't seen him in so long and her time with him was limited, so she wanted to be with him as much as she could, even if he was currently just a shell of himself.

On Saturday everything was much the same except when one of his caretakers came in to give Chuck a sponge bath. Sarah offered to do the job instead and took the tub of water and washcloths over to her husband's bedside.

Sitting on the edge of Chuck's bed Sarah dipped the first cloth into the warm water and brought it to her husband's face. Using small, gentle motions Sarah took great, loving care as she cleaned his face, being careful to not get any water into his frozen eyes. She was just as gentle when drying off his face with a fresh cloth.

Sarah worked slowly, enjoying the closeness, even if he couldn't reciprocate. After washing Chuck's face she moved on to his arms, legs, back and chest until he was all cleaned and dried. As she helped her husband with his bath Sarah remembered giving her children baths this way when they were tiny babies, the way she still did with Gabriel. It was a wonderful bonding time and Sarah now felt that same feeling with Chuck.

Sunday Sarah only had half a day with her husband because she needed to get back home to her kids. So she sat with him until lunch, after which she reluctantly said goodbye. As when she left following her first visit Sarah kissed Chuck's forehead and told him that she would be back next weekend.

The winter sun was just beginning to set when Sarah arrived back in Burbank and the home of Mary Bartowski. There was no answer for a while, but after a couple minutes Mary answered the door and welcomed her inside. As she entered Mary explained that everyone had just sat down for dinner and asked Sarah to join them. Graciously accepting the invitation Sarah sat down to enjoy a meal with her family.

After dinner Sarah got all of her kids belongings packed while they got themselves ready. Before heading out the door Sarah asked, "Did you have fun with Grandma?"

Her question received an enthusiastic, "Yeah!" from both girls. Who then began to excitedly chatter about all the fun things they did over the weekend. They continued to babble on about the fun times they'd had on the way out the door and during the car ride home.

Back at home Abigail, Felicity and Gabriel all clung to Sarah. Mommy was back and they didn't intend to let her go for a long time. So while Sarah cradled Gabriel in her arms Abigail and Felicity sat on either side of her as they watched an animated princess movie before bed.

While her daughters went to brush their teeth and get into their nightgowns, Sarah carried Gabriel to bed, hoping that if she put him down now he wouldn't start crying. Sarah then met her girls in their room and asked which story they wanted to hear tonight. Felicity clutched a book in her little arms and carried it over to her, saying, "This one Mommy."

Examining the book Sarah read the title and opened it to the first page. As Sarah read the story Abigail and Felicity started to yawn and by the time she reached the 'happily ever after,' their eyes were beginning to droop. Closing the book and putting it away Sarah finished the bedtime routine by tucking her girls into bed, kissing them goodnight and wising them sweet dreams.

After getting very little sleep for the past two nights due to trying to sleep in a chair, Sarah decided to head to bed a short time later. She had barely started to fall asleep when she was woken up, but unlike most nights when Sarah was woken in the middle of the night it wasn't Gabriel who woke her. It was Abigail and Felicity.

"Mommy, can we sleep with you tonight?"

There was no way Sarah could turn down that sweet voice or those angelic faces, so she agreed and let her daughters climb into bed with her. Sarah probably wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight either. Usually when her kids slept with her at least one of them ended up on top of her at some point and she was always kicked or hit no less than twice. But such was the life of a parent and she loved them, so she welcomed them and their nighttime acrobatics into her bed.

While sharing a bed with two active young children wasn't always pleasant, it was infinitely more comfortable than the chair at the hospital had been. So even with kids bouncing all over the bed and throwing themselves on top of her, Sarah still had a better night's sleep than what she had gotten at the hospital.

Being back at home did mean middle of the night interruptions though and right on schedule Gabriel woke up for his middle of the night feeding. Through the baby monitor she kept on her nightstand Sarah could hear his hunger cries. She wasn't the only one who heard him crying though. Abigail and Felicity were both awoken by the sound as well.

"Mommy, why is Gabriel crying?" Abigail asked, rubbing her eyes.

"He's just hungry sweetie. Go back to sleep."

As she got up from the bed Sarah kissed each of her girls and pulled the covers back over them. "I'll be back as soon as I finish feeding your brother."

Yawning Sarah shuffled off toward the nursery to feed Gabriel. She hoped that it wouldn't be too much longer before he started sleeping through the night so that she didn't have to get up halfway through the night anymore. It was really wearing her out, especially now that she had returned to work.

As soon as Gabriel had filled his little tummy and fell back to sleep Sarah returned to her room to go back to bed, however she ran into a bit of a problem. During her absence both Abigail and Felicity had migrated over to her side of the bed. _Just like cats_ Sarah thought, stealing the warm spot the on the bed.

With an amused smile Sarah went around the bed and crawled into Chuck's side of the bed. As she lay on Chuck's pillow images of him flooded her mind. She hadn't been on this side of the bed since he went missing and now memories of their life and their nights together filled her thoughts. She remembered the way it felt to be held in his arms and the feel of his warm breath on her neck. She remembered the scents of his shampoo and aftershave and the steady beat of his heart as he drifted off to sleep.

When morning came Sarah just wanted to lie awake in bed for a few moments to keep the happy dreams alive. She knew that as soon as she got up she would be back to reality and the reality was that Chuck was lying catatonic in a CIA hospital after enduring eight months of trauma. Sarah was able to lie on the bed undisturbed for an entire minute before Abigail and Felicity started to rouse from their slumber. For one minute Sarah got to remember the way things used to be.

The week went by just like any typical week with school and work and afternoon bonding time. Then when the weekend arrived Sarah once more was on a plane to see her husband.

As soon as she arrived at the medical facility Sarah realized that she couldn't keep doing this. She was needed back home by her children. She couldn't spend every weekend away from them in this hospital. Learning that there had been no change in Chuck further cemented the idea in her mind that she couldn't keep coming back every weekend.

After talking with Beckman and some of the staff, Sarah was escorted back to Chuck's room. He still sat in his catatonic state with his eyes glassed over, but she noticed that he was starting to look healthier. His skin was regaining its color and he didn't look so badly malnourished anymore. He still had a long way to go, but at least he was starting to improve in some aspects.

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to return next weekend, Sarah planned to make the most of this weekend with Chuck as she could. She wouldn't spend the weekend sitting by his bedside and holding his hand all day, instead she would try to find answers. Maybe she could figure out how to get him to eat actual food, so that he wouldn't need the feeding tube anymore. She knew she couldn't fix whatever was wrong in his mind, but at least she might have a chance with this.

Throughout the entire weekend Sarah worked furiously around the clock to get Chuck to accept food. She talked to everyone who had ever offered him food in the time he'd been here to see what they had tried and what hadn't worked. She also spent a great deal of time trying to get him to take something from her.

All day long she offered him a piece of bread and begged him to take a bite. She even tried putting a tiny piece in his mouth to see if he would then swallow, but he remained completely unresponsive no matter what she tried. Then, suddenly something completely unexpected happened, Sarah again offered the bread to Chuck, and while he remained in his catatonic state he did open his mouth and accept the food.

After Chuck swallowed the bite of bread Sarah immediately alerted one of his nurses. A plate of hot food was quickly delivered to his room and Sarah proceeded to feed him by asking him to open his mouth. Sarah tried to get Chuck to eat as much as she could to help him build his strength back up.

Sarah tried the same thing the following day, but nothing happened. She tried asking Chuck to open his mouth to eat over and over, but she was met with no response. She didn't understand why she couldn't get him to eat now and then an image from her subconscious flashed across her mind. Suddenly Sarah realized that she had gotten Chuck to eat something exactly on the hour.

With this knowledge Sarah guessed that Chuck had been kept on a very strict schedule while he was being held, and like with his bathroom breaks he must have had a feeding schedule and would only eat at those times. Sarah notified Chuck's caregivers of this information and hoped they could use it to help him.

Sarah left at the end of that weekend with a renewed sense of hope that her husband would be able to recover and that he would come back to her. That feeling didn't last for very long though, when she received a call from General Beckman in the middle of the week. She learned that things went downhill with Chuck after she left and that he was no longer doing well at the medical facility. There was nothing more they could do for him, so he was being sent home.

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><p><em><strong>AN: There you have it, the first new chapter of the year. I hope you all are continuing to enjoy the story.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: This chapter took a little longer to finish, but it is also the longest chapter of the story so far.**_

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><p>It was Saturday morning on Groundhog Day when Chuck arrived back home in Burbank, California. Gabriel was 130 days old and Chuck hadn't been inside the four walls of Casa Bartowski for 257 days.<p>

Knowing that Chuck would be arriving via Beckman's private plane that morning Sarah had sent her kids to the movies with their grandmother. She didn't want them to see what had happened to their father. Not without trying to prepare them for it first.

As she waited for the doorbell to ring Sarah paced the floor nervously. At last word Chuck wasn't doing well. Chuck had been in a catatonic state when she saw him, unmoving and unresponsive. If he was supposed to be worse off than that Sarah didn't know what condition Chuck was going to come home in. Was he dying and being sent home so that he could spend his last remaining days or hours surrounded by family, rather than dying alone in a government hospital?

Lost in thought and mindless pacing Sarah nearly jumped out of her shoes when she heard the chime of her doorbell. Taking a deep breath and swallowing her fear Sarah crossed the room to open the door.

As she opened the door Sarah was pushed into the background and forced to watch everything from afar. From her ignored corner Sarah watched as Chuck was 'deposited' inside the house by men in white suits that she had never seen before. Sarah didn't know who these people were, but she knew they were making her angry. They weren't letting her near her husband and they clearly didn't care about him the way she did.

The fifteen minutes it took from the time Sarah answered the door until the time she was left alone with the shell that was once her husband seemed infinitely longer. The moment they were gone from her house Sarah raced to his side. She had to know. She had to know what was meant when she was told that Chuck was no longer doing well and that neither the doctors nor the scientists could do anything else for him.

Sarah didn't even have to reach Chuck before she saw it. Before, Chuck could sit and hold himself up. Now he just lie limp and lifeless, and though his eyes were still glassed over Sarah saw something in them that told her that he had just given up. It seemed that he was just waiting to die and it shattered Sarah's heart.

While tears rolled down her cheeks and fell from her face Sarah sat with him on the bed. It was the first time they had both been in this bed since early May and even if Chuck wasn't really here, just having him on their bed had a profound effect on her. She started crying harder and a tear splashed onto his cheek.

Sarah moved to wipe the tear from his face, but instead of going to his cheek her hand found his hair and she stroked her fingers through the messy locks. While the tear dried on his skin Sarah continued to brush her fingers through Chuck's hair and made a heartfelt plea. "Please don't give up Chuck. Please keep fighting. I need you to come back to me. I love you and the world is a better place with you in it. So please don't die on me."

Wiping the tears from her eyes Sarah settled down next to Chuck, laying her body against his. It wasn't the same as it used to be, but she did feel a small amount of comfort lying in bed with her husband for the first time in nine months. She remained with him on the bed until she heard the doorbell.

Mary was back with the kids and now Sarah had to figure out how to explain their father's condition to them. They were so young that Sarah didn't know how she would make them understand his catatonic state. When their father couldn't give them hugs and kisses or say 'I love you' it would break their little hearts.

Coming back from the movie Abigail and Felicity were excitedly chattering about it the moment they walked through the door. As they continued to talk about how much they liked the movie and how much fun they'd had Sarah found her resolve to tell them about Chuck diminishing with each smile. She couldn't crush their hearts now and watch those precious little smiles disappear.

For now Chuck was tucked safely out of sight in the master bedroom. She could wait a little while before breaking the news to them because she knew that once she did there would be no turning back. Once it was out there their world was going to turn upside down again. The Bartowski family would have to adjust to yet another whole new reality.

Silently signaling to Mary Chuck's location Sarah sat down with her girls to hear all about the movie they saw and the candy they got to eat. Sarah sat listening to her girls until she heard Gabriel wake up and start crying. Getting up Sarah walked down the hall toward the nursery, taking a quick peek into her room where she saw Mary kneeling beside the bed with her hand laid over Chuck's still frail-looking hand.

Blinking away tears Sarah continued on to the nursery and gathered her infant son into her arms. Settling into the rocking chair Sarah began talking to him with a soothing voice as she readied to begin feeding him. Even after Gabriel stopped crying she continued to talk to him, even if only to stop herself from thinking about Chuck lying catatonic just across the hall. It was easier to put out of her mind when Chuck was still at the hospital. Now that he was home the image of him was burned into her mind.

After feeding Gabriel Sarah peaked into the master bedroom again and found the room empty except for Chuck. Carrying Gabriel in her arms Sarah continued on to the living room so he could join the rest of the family and get to spend a few minutes with grandma before she went back home.

Mary didn't stay long and once she had gone Sarah knew it was time to have that difficult conversation with Abigail and Felicity about their father. She couldn't risk them discovering him on their own. That would just make everything worse, so while holding Felicity in her lap and wrapping her arm securely around Abigail Sarah took a deep breath and prepared to deliver the heartbreaking news.

"Abigail. Felicity. There is something Mommy needs to tell you about Daddy." Sarah paused for a few moments as she tried to figure out how to explain the situation to her young daughters. "Daddy is very sick. Right now he has to stay in bed and needs someone to take care of him because he can't do it himself. He's too sick to do anything by himself and has to rely on someone else to do everything for him. Just like your baby brother."

"Is Daddy at the hospital?" Felicity asked.

"Not anymore baby. The hospital sent him home so that we can take care of him."

"Daddy's here?!" Abigail asked. Where is he?!"

"He's in Mommy and Daddy's room." As soon as they heard those words Abigail and Felicity tried to jump off the couch, but Sarah held onto them. There was still something she needed to tell them. "Before we go see Daddy you need to know that you have to be very gentle with him. Do you know how gentle you have to be with Gabriel, so you don't hurt him? Well you need to be just as gentle with Daddy okay?"

Both girls nodded their head in understanding, so Sarah got off the couch with them and held their hands as they went to the bedroom to see Chuck. Just outside the bedroom door Sarah stopped to make sure her girls were prepared for what they would find on the other side of the door. "Remember Daddy is very sick and can't get out of bed. You can each give him one little kiss, but then we need to let Daddy rest, okay."

With nods of understanding the three girls stepped into the room. In the darkened room Chuck was lying in bed under the covers and other than the fact that his eyes were open, appeared to be sleeping. Quietly stepping up to the bed, each girl placed a gentle kiss on Chuck's forehead, Sarah at the insistence of both of her daughters. Sarah then ushered the girls back out of the room and closed the door.

"Mommy, when will Daddy get better?" Abigail asked, a hint of sadness reflected in her deep blue eyes.

"I don't know sweetie. We just have to take good care of Daddy until then."

"I want to help Daddy." Felicity said in her most determined voice.

"I know you do baby and you and your sister can help by letting Daddy know how much you love him. Right now Daddy needs to rest though, so go play and you can talk to him later."

Listening to their mother's words Abigail and Felicity ran off to the room they shared with each other. Once they were in their bedroom and out of earshot Sarah let the tears she had been fighting for the past fifteen minutes finally fall. While Sarah was out of Abigail and Felicity's earshot she wasn't out of earshot of everyone. When she started crying Gabriel, who was playing on a blanket in the middle of the room looked up to see what was happening.

"Hey sweet boy," Sarah said as she moved off the couch and onto the floor. "You won't tell your sisters that Mommy was crying will you?"

Gabriel's response was to smile at her and Sarah wasn't sure what that meant. Was he smiling because he planned to tattle on her or was it because he meant to keep the secret? Whatever his smile meant it did have the effect of making her smile.

Gabriel was going to be the saving grace in this shattered family. It was impossible to see that boy smile and not smile yourself. Smiles were something that this family was going to be in desperate need of in the coming days, weeks or even months.

Sarah sat on the floor and played with her youngest child until it was time for everyone to take their nap. After a bit of a struggle Sarah got her girls down and started feeding Gabriel to get his little tummy full so that she could put him down for his nap as well.

While Sarah was in the midst of feeding Gabriel she saw the door leading into her bedroom open, and then as though he were being controlled by someone else Chuck stepped out into the hallway and proceeded to walk around with no set destination. It was like whomever was controlling him didn't know the layout of his surroundings and couldn't make him go where they wanted.

Carefully standing so as not to interrupt Gabriel's feeding too much, Sarah quietly fell in line behind Chuck while she tried to discover what he was doing, where he was trying to go. As he walked in a robotic-like fashion Sarah stuck close to keep an eye on him. He wandered around aimlessly for two minutes before returning to the bedroom and slumping to the floor.

Sarah wanted to go to him, but until Gabriel had his fill of milk and fell asleep, she couldn't. Until that time her duty was that of a mother, not a wife or a nurse. As much as it pained her, Chuck would have to wait until later. Finding the right balance between her mothering duties and being caretaker to Chuck was going to be a challenge. All four of them needed 'round the clock' care and she was just one person.

Finally after what felt like an eternity, plus one-hundred years Gabriel had eaten all that he'd wanted and she'd gotten him to sleep. Immediately after getting Gabriel settled into his crib Sarah made a beeline for her room to check on Chuck.

In the bedroom Sarah found Chuck still on the floor by the bed, where he had dropped himself in what seemed like defeat before. Kneeling beside him Sarah reached up to touch his face and gently stroked his cheek. Nothing had changed in his condition, but he seemed able to hold himself up again and the death that seemed to be in his eyes earlier was gone.

The downhill condition he had slipped into before coming home appeared to have reversed itself since coming home, but he still hadn't improved any from the condition he had been in when he initially arrived at the hospital. Well, she had gotten him to accept food from her and that was at least a tiny thing. His condition seemed to waver like a seesaw. He couldn't go up without falling down first.

Getting up, Sarah wanted to see if she could get Chuck to eat something again. She didn't know what schedule he was on. Was his schedule based on wherever he had been held all those months, the hospital, or was it based on whatever his current location was? Not knowing the answer to this question Sarah didn't know when or if he might eat, but that wasn't going to stop her from trying.

Since Sarah would only be making food for one and since she didn't know if that one was going to eat anything she didn't want to spend a lot of time on cooking something that may end up going to waste. Instead, she searched through the kitchen for something that would better suit the situation.

In the refrigerator Sarah found the answer, leftovers from last night's dinner that she had forgotten about. Pulling the various containers out of the fridge Sarah set about reheating the food and getting it fixed onto a plate for Chuck. Now she just had to try to get Chuck to the food and hope he would eat.

Returning to the bedroom and Chuck, Sarah started talking to him, telling him of her plans to get him to the kitchen table. Sarah continued talking to Chuck as she worked to pull him to his feet. Chuck didn't help her with her efforts, but he didn't resist her either, so with a bit of exertion on her part Sarah was able to get him up off the floor. Once she had Chuck on his feet she tried to propel him forward. This turned out to be easier than getting him up off the floor and he seemed willing to go in whatever direction she guided him.

At the table Sarah gently pushed him into a seated position, putting him in the chair in which he always sat. Taking the seat next to him and pulling it close Sarah picked up the spoon, gathered a bite of food onto it and tried to make her catatonic husband eat. It took a few minutes and several attempts, but Sarah at last managed to get Chuck to take it.

Sarah had just started feeding Chuck when she heard pint-sized footsteps behind her. Turning around she saw little Felicity, who had woken from her nap early walking into the kitchen.

"Mommy, what are you doing?"

"Come here baby," Sarah said holding her arm out toward her daughter.

When Felicity reached the table Sarah lifted the child into her lap. "Do you remember that I told you Daddy was very sick and that he needed someone to take care of him?" Felicity nodded and she continued. "Well Daddy is too sick to feed himself right now so Mommy has to help him. Do you understand?"

Felicity nodded again and Sarah turned her attention back to Chuck and tried to get him to eat more. After only getting Chuck to take a few bites Sarah was interrupted again. This time by Gabriel's cries. He hadn't stayed asleep when she put him down for his nap.

Gabriel's cries grew louder and Sarah couldn't listen to him wail without going to him. Sarah had never been able to ignore one of her babies' cries, no matter what else she may be doing at the time. So setting Felicity on her feet Sarah left Chuck to respond to her son's cries.

After watching her mother disappear into the nursery Felicity turned her attention back to her father. Climbing into the chair to get a closer look Felicity spent a moment watching him sit there motionless before she started talking to him. "Are you hungry Daddy?" Chuck didn't answer of course, but the three-year-old didn't let that deter her. "I think you're hungry."

Felicity then wrapped her little fist around the spoon and gathered up a heaping mountain of mashed potatoes with it. As she lifted the spoon toward her father's mouth some of the potatoes slipped off the spoon and plopped back down onto the plate, but a significant mound remained balanced on the spoon.

Chuck didn't open his mouth when she held the spoonful of mashed potatoes in front of him, so she did the only logical thing. "Open Daddy."

Responding to his daughter's request Chuck opened his mouth and Felicity fed him the oversized bite. Felicity couldn't fit all of the food she had scooped up into her father's mouth, so he ended up having a mess of mashed potatoes all over his face. Ignoring his messy face, she went back to the plate to get more food.

Sarah returned a few minutes later having been able rock Gabriel back to sleep. Back in the kitchen Sarah noticed that over half the plate of food she had made for Chuck was now gone. It didn't take Sarah long to figure out what had happened to all the food because Felicity was still sitting in the chair, feeding her daddy.

"What are you doing?" Sarah asked, taking her seat back and moving Felicity into her lap.

"Daddy was hungry," was her simple response.

"I can see that," Sarah said looking at all of the food that hadn't made it into his mouth.

Reacquiring the spoon Sarah took over the job of feeding Chuck once again while Felicity sat in her lap, not wishing to leave her parents. Sarah didn't want to make Felicity leave if she didn't want to. Afterwards she would sit down with her daughter and answer any questions she had. The preschooler had already seen the condition her father was in, so she would probably be asking questions anyway.

When Sarah finished feeding Chuck what might be the only food he would eat all day, she cleared the table and set the dishes in the sink. While she was dealing with the dishes Chuck stood from the table and resumed his autopilot wandering. As before he didn't seem to know where he was going and ended up sinking to the floor in the middle of the hallway.

That's when the first question came from Felicity. "Why's Daddy on the floor?"

"I think he's lost baby and doesn't know how to get back to bed," Sarah answered as she got Chuck up and took him back to his room.

Upon returning Sarah picked her daughter up and carried her over to the couch. Holding the small child in her lap Sarah allowed Felicity to ask her questions.

"What's wrong with Daddy?"

"He's very sick and confused, baby. He doesn't know where he is right now."

"Did he forget us?" Felicity asked, tearing up.

"No sweetie. Daddy could never forget us. I want you to remember that okay? Daddy loves you very much and he would never forget you."

"Did bad guys hurt Daddy?"

"Yes they did baby. But they got caught by the good guys, so you don't have to worry about them hurting Daddy or anyone else any more. Daddy's safe now.

If Felicity had any more questions Sarah wouldn't know, because at that time Abigail woke from her nap and entered the living room. The five-year-old interrupted any more one-on-one time between the pair by running over to the couch and climbing up next to her mom and sister.

Once Abigail was on the couch Felicity didn't waste any time and started repeating what her mother had just told her and filling her in on everything that had happened while she was still asleep. Sarah knew that she wouldn't be able to keep their father's condition secret for very long after he came home, but it was all still sinking in, so she didn't know how her girls would react to the situation yet.

Sarah got her answer that night when her daughters asked to say goodnight to their father before they went to bed.

Abigail and Felicity climbed onto the large, queen-size bed and crawled over to their father, who sat up against the headboard, staring straight ahead. In turn each of the girls kissed their father's cheek then sweetly and sadly said, "I love you, Daddy." Little Felicity also wrapped her arms around his neck and asked him to do something for her. "Please get better Daddy."

Sarah meanwhile stood by watching this exchange between her daughter's and their catatonic father and felt her eyes become flooded with watery pools.

After leaving the master bedroom and entering the girls' room, Abigail, Felicity and Sarah all gathered together on one of the beds. Sarah was about to start reading tonight's story when Abigail interrupted her. With tears in her eyes she asked, "Will Daddy ever stop being a statue and play with us again? And give us hugs and tell us he loves us?"

"I wish I knew the answer baby, but I don't. I hope your father gets better, but if he doesn't..."

"Then we still love Daddy anyway because he's the best Daddy ever," Abigail chimed in before Sarah could finish her sentence.

Felicity nodded her head in agreement with her sister and said, "I love Daddy forever."

Both girls were sniffling and had pools of tears in their eyes that matched Sarah's. They were clearly very upset about what had happened to their father, but they were handling it surprisingly well. Sarah surmised that everything the family had been through over the last nine months with Chuck's sudden disappearance and the uncertainty of his fate had made them strong and able to cope with tragedies in ways beyond their years.

Story time was forgotten and the three Bartowski girls instead reflected on Chuck. They shared memories and their hopes for the future. The at times melancholy and others heartwarming talk replaced the usual bedtime story that night and after drying her daughters' eyes she tucked them into bed and kissed them goodnight.

On Sunday Ellie arrived at Casa Bartowski with Devon and Clara. Mary had spread the word about Chuck's return and his unfortunate condition when Sarah felt she couldn't handle it. Telling her children took everything out of her and she just couldn't do it again.

Now that Chuck was no longer in a top secret government hospital and back at home Ellie was no longer barred from seeing him, not that anyone told her of the restriction that kept her from seeing her brother all that time. Ellie had arrived with all of her personal medical equipment as well as all of her own and her father's notes and research regarding the Intersect. She and Sarah both hoped that maybe she would be able find something that the doctors and scientists at the CIA hadn't.

Sarah was grateful for the extra help. Yesterday had been tough and Sarah hadn't gotten a single moment to herself. She hadn't even been able to find the time to take a quick shower. She spent all of the previous day busy with caring for her three children and husband. Sarah hadn't been able to get any sleep last night either, not with Chuck's lifeless stare into the dark.

Ellie and Devon did bring with them an additional child, but even so, having three adults caring for four children, five if you counted Chuck who needed just as much care if not more, would be much easier than having one adult trying to take care of four other very dependent people. With their help, hopefully today wouldn't be as hard as yesterday. Maybe she would even get to take a shower or if she was very fortunate, a long, soothing babble bath. A little bit of quiet relaxation would go a long way in helping to restore her strength and her sanity.

Knowing that Ellie was coming Sarah had taken Chuck out of the bedroom and into the living room where there was more room and better light. It was a far more ideal location to try to do an examination than a bedroom. So that's where he was when Clara ran into the house.

It didn't take Clara long to notice Chuck and as soon as she spotted him she raced over to the couch. She hadn't seen her uncle since her birthday last January. More than a year had passed since then and she had just celebrated another birthday three days ago, so she was ecstatic to see Chuck again after such a long time and so many missed special occasions.

As she ran toward him she excitedly exclaimed, "Uncle Chuck! Uncle Chuck!"

When he didn't respond to her the eight-year-old broke down and started crying. Apparently Ellie and Devon hadn't broken the news to her yet and she didn't understand what was wrong. Still crying she looked up at the other adults in the room and asked, "Why isn't Uncle Chuck moving or talking to me?"

Ellie and Devon sat down with their daughter and explained the situation regarding Chuck to her. When her parents finished explaining things to her, still sniffling Clara looked to them and asked, "Mom. Dad. You're doctors, are you going to make Uncle Chuck better?"

"I don't know if we can honey," Ellie answered. "But we're going to try our best to help him."

Clara managed a little smile and squeezed her mother tight. "You're awesome, Mom."

Hearing all of the commotion Abigail and Felicity had come out of their room to see what was going on. Seeing their aunt, uncle and cousin in the living room made their faces light up. The two girls excitedly ran over to greet the surprise visitors and started hugging everyone.

After doling out all the hugs, Abigail and Felicity turned their attention to their older cousin. They spent a few moments chattering away with Clara when they abruptly changed the subject. "You haven't seen our new brother yet!"

Abigail turned to her mother and asked, "Can we show Clara our baby brother?"

Sarah agreed to let everyone see Gabriel and went to the nursery to get her son so that she could introduce him to everybody. As Sarah carried a sleeping Gabriel into the living room everyone craned their necks trying to catching a glimpse of the baby.

Sitting in an unoccupied chair Sarah introduced her niece to her newest cousin. "Clara, this is your cousin Gabriel."

"He's so cute! Can I hold him?"

"Maybe later, when he's awake," Sarah answered.

Disappointed, but accepting her aunt's answer Clara left with her other cousins to go play in their room.

Once the kids were gone Ellie was ready to take her nephew off Sarah's hands. He was the only boy in the family and unless Chuck and Sarah had another baby, assuming Chuck ever recovered, he would probably remain the only boy in the Bartowski-Woodcomb clan. Ellie and Devon had decided years ago that with their jobs they could only really handle one child, so little Clara was it for them.

Holding the baby in her arms Ellie and Devon both fawned all over him. It didn't take Devon long to proclaim that Gabriel was, "Awesome."

After a very long trip and meeting Gabriel for the first time, Ellie decided to wait until tomorrow to begin examining Chuck. They would be in Burbank all week and today Ellie just want to visit with her family, which included spending time with her long-lost brother as his sister, and not his doctor.

Despite not examining Chuck today that didn't mean that Ellie did nothing. Ellie did prepare for tomorrow by gathering as much information from Sarah as she could. She asked her sister-in-law to tell her as much as she could about what happened to Chuck. What if any treatments he had received previously and she inquired about all of her observations and asked if she had noticed any changes or anything else that might be pertinent for her to know.

Reliving the tragic story brought all of Sarah's pain back to the surface and tears streamed down her face. For Ellie and Devon who were hearing the story for the first time it was overwhelming. Ellie collapsed into Devon's arms, who despite his own pain, had to do his best to be strong for his wife.

That evening as it started to get late Ellie and Devon called Clara and told her that it was time to go to their hotel. Clara protested, wanting to stay with her cousins and asked if she could spend the night with them. Ellie's response was that Aunt Sarah already had her hands full, but seeing the sadness in her face Sarah told Ellie that Clara could stay if it was alright with her.

So Clara was staying the night and now Sarah was once more the sole adult caring for four children and a husband who needed full-time care. At least it was just about bedtime though, so all she really needed to do was get everyone into bed and get them to go to sleep. Not that it would be an easy job. The girls were essentially having a slumber party, so getting everyone to _actually_ go to sleep would be a challenge.

It was nearly two hours past their regular bedtime when Sarah managed to get Abigail, Felicity and Clara to sleep. Before that they sat up, talking and giggling. She was beginning to think she'd never get them to sleep and was second guessing her decision to let her niece spend the night. But they were finally asleep now and as long as they stayed that way it would be okay.

It was another long night for Sarah. Thoughts of Chuck disturbed her quest for sleep. His lifeless stare as he sat unmoving remained a hindrance to her slumber, but because she'd decided to sleep on the couch, rather than being forced to try to sleep on the bedroom floor like she was last night, it was less of a bother. What really kept her awake were contemplations of the exam Ellie would give him tomorrow.

Sarah woke about an hour before the sun, just as she usually did and looked for ways to busy herself so that the wait wouldn't seem so long. Ellie and Devon would not show up for hours yet, so she needed something to do if she was going to keep from going crazy. Her sister-in-law may have the answer she had been hoping for these past few weeks ever since Chuck was rescued.

With four kids under her roof, in addition to her very sick husband, Sarah was sure that she would have plenty to keep her occupied. If she ever found a moment where she wasn't doing anything she could always find some chore around the house that needed to be done. As long as she didn't let her mind wander she would be okay.

While trying not to think about what was going to take place today, Sarah fed all of the children and got everyone dressed. She cleaned the kitchen and vacuumed the living room. Sarah combed Chuck's hair and shaved the stubble from his face. She even played two games of Candy Land with her daughters and her niece.

Finally after what seemed like forever the doorbell rang. Sarah was at the door before the chime could fade away. She had been waiting for this all morning, so she had been ready to answer the door the moment Ellie and Devon arrived.

While Ellie and Devon greeted their daughter and began setting up, Sarah went to the bedroom to get Chuck and bring him out to the living room. It took her several minutes to get Chuck up out of the bed and into the living room, so by the time Sarah got him sitting on the couch the doctors were ready and waiting for him.

The exam began with a basic evaluation. Ellie and Devon listened to his heart, checked out his eyes, even though he couldn't follow the light and preformed a few other basic tests. They recorded their findings, which for the most part were normal.

Ellie then consulted her notes and research and pored over every little detail. As she studied the information she would periodically preform various tests and record the results. Occasionally Devon offered his assistance and suggestions. They spent most of the day examining Chuck, only stopping to eat or to take a few minutes to reflect on what they had learned so far.

Day one didn't provide much insight into the problem, but Ellie wasn't giving up. She continued to work every day to figure out what had happened to her brother and to find a way to help him. However being limited to the few medical tools she personally owned and not having an actual hospital to work in severely restricted what she could do.

The rest of the week wasn't much better. With Sarah at work and baby Gabriel and Clara spending the day with their grandmother the doctors had no distractions, but even having no concerns other than trying to find a solution to Chuck's condition hadn't helped. For all her knowledge, research and notes Ellie hadn't been able to find a way to help Chuck any more than any of his previous doctors or the scientists who had studied him.

The answer proved to be elusive or maybe there just was no answer. Maybe Chuck was gone forever and the empty shell he had become was all that he would ever be.

At the end of the week the Woodcomb family had to return home. Ellie and Devon had patients to get back to and Clara couldn't miss any more school. So as much as they hated to leave they couldn't stay any longer.

As they were preparing to leave, Ellie apologized for not being able to do anything to help. There was nothing she could do for him. For now all they could do was to take a 'wait and see' approach. Sarah would just have to observe Chuck and see if she noticed any change in him. The only advice Ellie could give was to involve him with the family as much as possible. She suggested that Sarah bring him out of the bedroom during the day, at least that way he wouldn't be left alone or forgotten.

Now that Ellie and Devon had gone back home Sarah needed someone else to watch and care for Chuck while she was at work. The obvious choice was Mary who was already taking care of Gabriel for her during the day and watching her girls after school. But since Chuck couldn't travel Mary would have to come to him. She would still be watching the kids, only now she would be doing that at Casa Bartowski rather than at her own residence.

When Monday morning arrived Mary was at Casa Bartowski bright and early, ready to take care of both her catatonic son and her tiny grandson. It would be a big job providing the care Chuck needed while also watching an infant, but she loved Chuck, so all the sacrifice, pain and stress would be overshadowed by those feelings.

Mary already knew everything she needed to know for watching Gabriel so Sarah didn't bother with giving her any instructions for him. Instead Sarah filled her in on everything she needed to know about taking care of Chuck's specific needs, including the strict schedule he followed. Sarah warned her that if she missed the feeding window for instance, that no amount of trying would make him eat, so she needed to keep a close watch on the time and stick to the schedule she provided.

The job turned out to be a lot harder than Mary realized and she didn't know how Sarah had handled it. Of course during the past week she had Ellie and Devon to help, but on the weekends she was on her own, plus she also had Abigail and Felicity on her hands as well. Sarah was a strong woman, but until today Mary hadn't realized just how strong she was. Her son had made an excellent choice when he chose Sarah as his wife. Now when he needed her the most she was really coming through for him.

The job never got any easier for Mary and at the end of the day she was always grateful to see Sarah return. Sarah also looked forward to getting back home. Despite how tough the job was she just wanted to be with her family. Even if the condition of a part of that family meant he wasn't truly present, having all the members of her family under one roof was good for her soul. Despite how painful it was things were better this way.

Sarah spent her evenings playing with her kids, teaching them and reading to them, all while Chuck sat in the midst of it all. Once they went to bed Sarah turned her full attention to her husband. She talked to him, watched TV and movies with him, despite the fact that he couldn't actually participate in any of those things. Even if he was catatonic, he was her husband and she had promised to love him for better or for worse. Whether worse was temporary or permanent, she loved him.

At night she gave Chuck the bedroom while she continued to take the couch. She wished she could share the bed with him, but as long as he remained in his current condition that was impossible. So instead, after escorting him back into the bedroom Sarah would sit with him on the bed for a while. She would just sit with him in silence and hold his hand in hers. Before she left for the night she would kiss his cheek and whisper, _I love you_ in his ear.

One night late into the week as she was stepping out of the room to go set up her bed on the couch something stopped her. Standing in the doorway she turned to look back into the bedroom. She thought she heard Chuck say something. She thought she heard him say her name.

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><p><em><strong>AN: I don't know how many of you are still reading this story, but those of you who are reading, I hope you continue to enjoy it.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: This chapter is a little shorter than the previous two, but I decided to split the next part into a separate chapter.**_

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><p>Sarah squeezed her eyes tightly shut. She had begun imagining things. Chuck didn't really say her name. Her mind was just playing tricks on her, very cruel, very wicked tricks.<p>

"Sarah," the hallucination spoke again.

Sarah wanted to run from the room with her hands over her ears, but was it really possible to outrun a delusion? Taking a deep breath and halting the beat of her heart, Sarah forced herself to open her eyes. When she did Chuck still sat on the bed just as he was before.

The hallucination spoke a third time and this time Sarah did run, straight to the bed.

"Chuck?!" Sarah said placing her hands on his face as she sat on the bed's edge. "Did you say something?! Do you know who I am?! Do you know where you are?!"

The response was the same as it had been, "Sarah." Only now she knew that it wasn't her imagination. Chuck really was speaking. Okay, maybe speaking wasn't exactly the right word since all he had said so far was he name. But he had said something.

What Sarah didn't know was if he was aware of what he was saying or if he knew what the word meant. It was possible that this was just another manifestation of his catatonic state, repeating the same word over and over again, as a parrot might do.

As she searched for an answer Sarah noticed a small change in Chuck. His eyes were clear and no longer glassed over. Testing her discovery out Sarah learned that Chuck could follow movement with his eyes. He could see her and his surroundings.

What she still didn't know however was whether or not he was consciously aware of anything. Sarah searched for an answer as she tried to continue talking to Chuck and to engage him in some way. No matter what she said or did any time he responded all he would say was her name, and she soon realized that 'Sarah' was the only word that he was capable of saying.

She watched as he struggled to say something, but it always came out as 'Sarah' and not whatever he really wished to say. She watched as he teared up in his struggle to speak, which only served to make her tear up as well.

Sarah continued to sit with Chuck on the bed for a long while and when the sun began streaming in through the window and falling on her face she realized that at some point she must have fallen asleep. When the sun forced her eyes open Sarah found herself lying sideways across the middle of the bed with her head resting atop Chuck's legs.

Sitting up Sarah looked to her catatonic husband and saw that he hadn't moved any part of his body other than his head, which had fallen back against the wall and his eyes had closed. Despite seeing Chuck's head flung so far back she didn't worry that he had passed away or anything like that as she slept because she could clearly see the rise and fall of his chest. He was still breathing and had seemingly fallen asleep himself, albeit in what looked like an extremely uncomfortable position.

Suddenly another thought flashed into Sarah's mind. Gabriel! She hadn't heard him cry last night. Sarah immediately jumped off the bed and ran as quickly as she could to the nursery, praying that her son was alright and that nothing tragic had happened during the night.

Holding her breath and with her heart frozen in fear Sarah peered into the crib. Inside her precious baby slept peacefully. Sarah threw her hand over her heart and let the breath she had been holding out. Her baby was fine. For the first time ever he had slept through the night.

Sarah stood over the crib watching her beautiful little baby sleep. She knew he would wake soon and she just wanted to enjoy the quiet slumber while she could. Gabriel was growing up. Soon he wouldn't need to be fed in the middle of the night anymore.

Almost as if sensing his mother's presence Gabriel woke up and immediately started crying about his empty tummy. Sarah let out an amused chuckle at his timing. Then scooping up her growing boy she sat with him in the rocker and started feeding him his breakfast.

It wasn't long before Abigail and Felicity had gotten out of bed and started asking about breakfast themselves. Sarah finished taking care of her son and put him in his bounce seat then turned her attention to her daughters. She picked Felicity up and took Abigail's hand as they headed into the kitchen.

After Sarah got them set up at the table with bowls of cereal Sarah headed back to the bedroom to check on Chuck. He was holding his head up again, but he was still sitting in the exact same position he had been ever since she put him in the bed last night. He hadn't moved, couldn't seem to do anything other than say her name at times.

Chuck's body was still locked in a catatonic state. The small change in him was just that, a minor change in his condition. He could occasionally say her name and his eyes seemed to be beginning to focus again. But other than those slight differences nothing else had changed. Her husband was still lost.

Pulling Chuck to his feet Sarah walked him out of the bedroom just as she did every morning. Once she got him settled on the couch Sarah returned to the kitchen to join her girls for breakfast. While she ate the quick bowl of cereal she had prepared for herself Sarah found her thoughts wandering to Chuck and whatever her girls were talking about faded into the background.

Following breakfast Sarah got her girls ready for school and waited for Mary to arrive. As she waited for her children's grandmother to arrive Sarah kept thinking about Chuck and the change she had seen in him. Glancing over at him on the couch, Sarah knew. She knew that she wouldn't be able to go to work today. So when Mary showed up a short time later Sarah told her to take the girls to school and that she would be staying home with Gabriel and Chuck.

Sarah called into work and was able to get the day and Friday off, as well as next week using some vacation time. Now that Sarah didn't have work to worry about for a while she could concentrate on Chuck and try to help him recover as much as possible. Right now that job was more important than the one she was paid for.

Gabriel was content at the moment, so Sarah turned her attention to Chuck. Sitting next to him on the couch she laid her hand against his cheek and turned his face toward hers. Sarah spent several moments silently looking into Chuck's eyes before she leaned in and lightly kissed the corner of his mouth.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Chuck."

For a few seconds there was silence and then Chuck tried to respond by saying the one word in his vocabulary.

Sarah considered that response as Chuck wishing her a 'Happy Valentine's Day' in return.

Shortly after their exchange Gabriel began fussing, tired of his bounce seat, or possibly just jealous that Mommy was paying attention to someone else. Reluctantly Sarah left Chuck's side to go free her son from his bounce seat and quieten his fussing. As she unfastened Gabriel so that she could pick him up Sarah talked to him.

"Is someone trying to get Mommy's attention?"

Gabriel kicked his little legs, flapped his little arms and gave his biggest smile as his mother knelt in front of him, talking to him. Picking up her excited, wiggly, little boy Sarah carried him back over to the couch and sat down.

As she sat next to Chuck with Gabriel Sarah decided it was time to introduce them to each other.

"Chuck, I would like you to meet your son, Gabriel. He was born around the time of your birthday, on September 26 at 8:05 P.M. He was seven pounds, eight ounces and absolutely perfect."

At her words a tear fell from Chuck's eyes and created a watery track on his face. He understood. He knew what Sarah was saying and understood that Gabriel was his child. He knew that he had missed his birth and all the months after that.

Sarah saw how much it hurt Chuck to have missed out on so much and now to finally meet his son and not be able to hold or talk to him. She watched as Chuck tried his hardest to move, to try to reach his son, but fail. The most he was able to manage was a twitch of his fingers.

Sarah didn't know if this change in Chuck could be considered better than when he sat lifeless and checked out of the world. Chuck was still in a catatonic-like state, only now he was aware of that fact. Chuck had gained enough awareness to know what was happening to him, but was unable to do anything about it. She knew that he had to be experiencing a cruel torture inside.

There was nothing that she could do to help her husband and that killed Sarah. He had been rescued from one prison only to fall into another and this new prison was one that no one could free him from. There was no breaking him out because he _was_ the prison, his body, his mind.

Chuck continued to stare at Gabriel, not daring to take his eyes off of him even for a second. His fingers twitched a second time and another tear fell from his glistening eyes. Even though he couldn't move he refused to give up trying.

With her eyes clouded by a fog of tears Sarah reached out and took Chuck's hand. She held it in her own for a moment before guiding his hand into a gentle stoke across the palm of Gabriel's tiny hand. This caused Gabriel's palmer grasp reflex to kick in and the infant gripped onto Chuck's finger.

Sarah didn't know if Chuck could feel his touch, but she did know that he could see it. Chuck's eyes filled with tears again, but this time Sarah knew that there was some happiness behind those tears. Chuck had gotten what he wanted, at least to some degree, to touch his son. Maybe one day he would even hold him.

The moment didn't last long and soon Gabriel's grip and Chuck's hand fell away from each other. Though brief, Sarah hoped that moment of connection had helped ease some of Chuck's pain.

Lunchtime approached and after taking care of Gabriel Sarah set about making something for herself and Chuck. Because it was Valentine's Day Sarah tried to make it a little special, spreading a delicate, lace tablecloth over the table, using the fancy china dishes, even lighting some candles and playing soft music.

Sitting around the flickering candlelight Sarah fed Chuck, while also intermittently taking bites of her own food. Because Chuck's eyes were now able to focus she no longer needed to ask him to open his mouth. Now he could see when food was being offered to him and only needed help to actually get the food to his mouth since he was still unable to move on his own.

After lunch Chuck and Sarah were back on the couch where Sarah sat just talking to Chuck, telling him stories. Now that she knew he could hear her and understand Sarah repeated many of the things she had told him when he was in the CIA hospital.

Their time together came to an end when Gabriel woke and the girls returned home from school. Now it was time for Sarah to listen to stories Abigail and Felicity told her about their days. Chuck, who sat nearby listened to the stories as well, but was unable to participate in the conversation.

When the subject of the conversation turned to today's holiday the girls slid off the couch and ran off, only to return moments later carrying handmade Valentine's cards. Climbing back onto the couch, Abigail held out her hands and said, "Mommy we made Valentine cards today at school. I made one for you."

Sarah took the card made of red and pink construction paper, cut into the shape of a heart and opened it. Inside, written in crayon were the words, _I luv you mommy_ and signed _Abigail_. Written neatly in pen at the bottom the teacher had added the date, so that in the future parents would be able to remember when their child made the card.

Felicity handed her card over next. Hers too was made of construction paper, but rather than being cut into the shape of a heart it was just a folded piece of paper with a very lopsided heart drawn on the front. Inside there were no words as the three-year-old was still learning about letters, but Felicity had drawn a picture inside, consisting mostly of more lopsided hearts and squiggly lines.

As Sarah was busy looking at the cards her daughters gave her Felicity laid something on Chuck's lap. "This is for you Daddy."

Hearing what her daughter said Sarah looked up and saw the red paper card sitting on Chuck's leg. Before she had the time to pick it up Abigail was also laying a Valentine card on her father's lap. "I made you a card too Daddy."

Sarah picked up the cards and held them in front of Chuck as she opened them for him to see. The cards were basically the same as the ones Abigail and Felicity made for her, with only slight differences. Abigail had exchanged 'Mommy' for 'I love you Daddy' on his card and Felicity had used a blue crayon to draw her pictures rather than the pink one she had used on the card for her.

Chuck and Sarah were both deeply moved by the cards the girls made for their father. That they thought about him even though he was essentially unavailable was really touching. Abigail and Felicity really loved their daddy.

Hugging her girls Sarah said, "Thank you for the cards. I love them. Daddy says thank you too."

Abigail and Felicity sat with their parents for a while until other needs called for Sarah's attention. When Sarah's attention was pulled away to take care of her son and make dinner Abigail and Felicity spent a little time alone with their father talking to him. Then the call of their toys became too great and they ran off to their room to go play, but not before they made sure to tell their daddy that they loved him very much.

The rest of the evening was pretty much like any typical evening. Sarah cut up food for her girls and fed Chuck, all while trying to find the time to eat herself. Shortly after dinner came bath time where while Sarah gave her daughters their baths they played with tub toys, Felicity's toy of choice being her rubber ducky. Then while they were brushing their teeth Sarah washed Gabriel in his baby bath. Story time came next and finally everyone was tucked in for the night.

Once all the children were in bed and dreaming their sweet dreams Sarah turned her attention back to her husband. Like other evenings Sarah put a movie on that she and Chuck could watch together. Tonight however unlike those other evenings Chuck would actually be able to register the pictures on the screen.

As the romantic movie played on the screen Sarah's head drifted down and settled on Chuck's shoulder. Sometime later Chuck's head came to rest against Sarah's and they spent the remainder of the movie sitting in the cozy position. By the time the credits began to roll both Chuck's and Sarah's eyes had grown heavy and they fell asleep.

For about half-an-hour Chuck and Sarah slept together on the couch without moving. Sarah was the first to wake and as she lifted her head she realized that Chuck's head was resting atop hers. Earlier she was too in the moment to realize the significance of what it meant. If Chuck's head was lying against hers that meant he had to move it into that position. This morning she had awoken to find Chuck's head back against the wall, slowly he was learning how to control the movement of his head.

Over the next couple of days there were small changes in Chuck, which the girls noticed, especially once the weekend hit and they spent more time with him. That observation is what led Abigail and Felicity to pull out one of their board games on Sunday afternoon.

So that was how the Bartowski family, sans baby Gabriel, ended up around the kitchen table playing a game of Sorry!

It was Felicity's turn and she drew a card with the number three printed on its face. Looking at the card Felicity smiled and said, "That's how many I am!" She then proceeded to count out loud, "One, two, three," moving one of her yellow pawns across the board as she counted.

Abigail was next, drawing an eight. Picking up her green pawn that had traveled the furthest around the board she counted out eight spaces.

Sarah's turn came after that and her card said five, so she moved a red pawn the indicated number of spaces.

Finally Chuck's turn came and Felicity excitedly drew a card for him. The card read twelve. The highest number in the game.

Inwardly, Chuck was bemoaning the card that was turned up for him. He would have much preferred a one or a two, not a twelve. Twelve was far too large a number. Sure it would get him around the board further, but he still hated the number.

Eyeing the blue pawn that had barely made it passed the starting point on the board, Chuck slowly and stiffly lifted his arm toward the game piece. It took quite some time to do, but no one was rushing him. Finally after nearly a minute Chuck had moved his arm enough to reach his chosen solely for convenience, rather than game strategy, pawn.

As his arm shook Chuck worked his hardest to grasp the little game piece. Eventually he was able to pinch the top of the blue pawn between his thumb and forefinger and slowly began to count out the spaces, while his arm continued to quiver.

When he had only counted out four spaces Chuck lost his unsteady grasp on the pawn and it clattered onto the board, rolling back and forth on its side. Frustrated, Chuck awkwardly slung the fallen pawn off the table, sending it bouncing and clattering to the floor before finally rolling away.

Throwing the small pawn to the floor didn't do much to ebb Chuck's aggravation and Sarah saw the pent up frustration in Chuck that was bubbling to the surface and jumped in to try to diffuse the situation before he lost control. Picking the discarded pawn up off the floor Sarah returned it to the board, moving it to the square eights spaces ahead of where Chuck had lost his grip on it, just before he slung it off the table.

"Chuck, it's okay," Sarah said as soothingly as she could, laying her hands on his arms and gently pushing them back down onto the table.

Chuck had been growing increasingly frustrated ever since he first became conscious of what was happening to him a few days ago. In his head he knew what he wanted to do, but he couldn't make his body do what he was telling it to do. It was as though the file containing the message he tried to send was corrupted and couldn't be delivered from his brain to whichever part of his body he was asking to move. Like the computer in his head he was malfunctioning.

Overworking the Intersect had likely led to a meltdown, resulting in Chuck's cationic state. Overworking it and treating him as though he were no more than a machine to be used without consideration. He had been able to break through some of his catatonia, but not enough to control his movements or his voice. Of course all of this was just a guess on Sarah's part based on what she had observed.

Instead of sitting back in her original seat Sarah moved to sit right next to Chuck to help him and to try to keep an eruption of anger from occurring. If he kept throwing things or worse he was going to scare the kids, and that wasn't something she was going to let happen. She needed to find a way to help Chuck with his frustrations, because if it came down to a choice she would pick her babies. As hard as it would be she would have to send Chuck away to a full-time treatment facility if her babies were in any kind of danger.

The game continued on as if nothing had happened and when Chuck's turn came back around Sarah assisted him. She helped him move his arm and held his hand as he tried to move his pawn. Because she was helping Chuck grip the game piece he didn't drop it and through shaky movements he was able to move the number of spaces indicated on the card. Sarah continued to aid Chuck with all of his movements until the game came to an end and a winner was declared.

When the game was over Sarah sent her girls to their room to go play. Chuck needed time to decompress and deal with the lack of control he had over his own body out of the sight of any children.

Sarah could see that Chuck wanted to scream, wanted to hit something, throw something, wanted to do anything. He wanted to be free of the internal prison he was trapped in. The life he was living now was no life at all and he wanted out.

Sarah just hoped he would find a way into a life that he could accept, and soon. She didn't know how much longer he could go on like this. She didn't know how much longer she could hold on either. So Chuck needed to find his way back as best he could, even if he couldn't make it all the way back.

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><p><em><strong>AN: Chuck has now shown some signs of improvement. Can he continue to recover further? Keep reading to find out and I hope you all continue to enjoy this story.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Chapter 6 is ready. Enjoy!**_

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><p>Monday came and the girls were back at school, so Sarah had the day to devote her attention to Chuck, except of course whenever Gabriel needed her. She had one week to help Chuck in his recovery as much as she could before she had to return to work. Knowing she would need all the time she could get Sarah got started right away.<p>

Breakfast was first on the schedule. After helping Chuck to his feet Sarah decided to let Chuck try to get the kitchen on his own without her help. He had been wandering around on autopilot from the start, so walking shouldn't be too big of an issue for him.

Staying close just in case he needed any help, or someone to catch him if he started to fall Sarah walked alongside Chuck as he slowly moved one foot in front of the other using an intense focus to do so. It was slow-going, but Chuck reached the table completely under his own power. He even sat down in the chair. All of that was the easy stuff though. The hard stuff wouldn't come until later.

At the table Sarah sat with Chuck just as she always did, but instead of feeding him, Sarah was going to help him to feed himself. Sarah had already cut the pancake into small pieces to make things a little easier. She helped Chuck grip and hold the fork as he tried to stab the pancake. As much as Chuck's arm was shaking he nearly pulverized the pancake as he tried to stab it with his fork. In the end he wound up creating pancake flakes as they flew off the main piece of pancake he was trying so desperately to get onto his fork.

Before he could destroy any more of the pancake or become too frustrated Sarah aided Chuck in picking up a piece of the pancake with his fork, and while she helped Chuck with his grip she left it to him to lift the fork to his mouth. With great effort and intense concentration, Chuck slowly moved his shaky arm toward his lips. His arm continued to tremble as he tried to slide the fork into his mouth. Instead he ended up knocking his teeth.

It became clear that feeding himself wasn't something that Chuck was ready for. He didn't have enough control over his body to have the coordination needed for the task. Sarah was going to have to continue to feed Chuck, but that didn't mean that he couldn't practice for when he might be able to do so on his own.

Sarah didn't take the fork from Chuck, but instead moved his arm for him in hopes of getting his body used to the movement. Maybe in time he wouldn't be dependent on her anymore for his meals. Getting him to that point was just one of the many goals she had for her husband.

After breakfast Sarah moved on to helping Chuck with his grooming. As bad as his hands and arms shook she knew shaving was out of the question, he would cut himself to ribbons. But maybe he could try showering, or taking a bath if he wasn't able to stand for very long.

Sarah soon learned that Chuck was still a bit unsteady on his feet, especially if he was just standing still. There was no way she would be able to hold him up, so Chuck wouldn't be taking showers again yet. It was going to have to be a bath. She hadn't given up on this possibility of him washing his hair though.

Normally that was something she had to do for him, but that was before he started gaining some control over his body. Sarah did put the shampoo in Chuck's hair and helped him move his arm toward the top of his head, but then she stepped back to let him try to take it from there.

It was slow and awkward and he only managed to wash one side of his hair before his arm gave out, but that was still more than he had done before. As he tried washing his hair Sarah noticed that Chuck never tried moving his left arm. His left arm still hung lifeless at his side.

She hadn't really paid much attention to it before because he was right-handed, and he hadn't really done anything that required the use of both of his hands. But now his dormant left side was weighing heavily on her mind. As Sarah helped Chuck wash the rest of his hair she kept thinking about his left arm and trying to think of ways to help his left side catch up to his right.

When lunch time came around Sarah prepared a sandwich stuffed with an abundance of all of her husband's favorite components, for the ultimate Chuck sandwich, one which he would need two hands to eat. Sarah hoped seeing a double dose of his favorite sandwich would encourage Chuck to try to move his left arm.

Sarah could practically see Chuck's mouth water as she set the plate on the table in front of him. Hopefully his taste buds would send a message to his brain to tell him to move both of his arms and pick up that delicious-looking sandwich. At first Chuck only lifted his right arm, but when he found he couldn't pick up the sandwich with one hand, not without having everything fall out, his left arm started to twitch. He really wanted that sandwich.

Chuck continued to try his absolute hardest to move his left arm, but because he hadn't moved it before it was a lot more difficult. Chuck's face turned red as he strained every muscle he could to try to move his arm. All of his effort eventually paid off and his left arm moved just a fraction of an inch, but then Sarah could see that he was starting to give up.

"Chuck," Sarah said lifting his left arm to the table. "You can't give up. You can't stop fighting. Ever. You have to keep going. You've come such a long way already. You can't quit now. So don't give up. Fight for the kids. Fight for me. Fight for yourself. For your life."

For several moments after Sarah finished her motivational speech Chuck stared into her tearful eyes. He then turned his attention back to the mouth-watering sandwich sitting in front of him. Resuming his quest Chuck worked to pick his sandwich up.

He didn't have to move far and after a bit more intense effort he was able to wrap his hands around the sandwich and lift it off the plate. Now he just had to get it to his mouth and take a bite. Unlike the pancake he had for breakfast he wouldn't have to worry about silverware smacking against his teeth. If he could get the sandwich up to his mouth, no matter how bad he was shaking he should still be able to take a bite.

Sarah provided encouragement to Chuck as he brought the succulent sandwich ever closer to his lips. Her words gave him the push he needed to get the sandwich into his mouth to taste that very first bite. Just as it looked the sandwich Sarah made for him was indeed delicious and Chuck became even more determined to eat his lunch.

Lunch took up at lot of time and before Chuck was able to finish eating Sarah had to turn her attention to Gabriel. He was hungry too and in addition to his rumbling tummy it had been far too long since he last felt the magic of his mother's loving touch.

Leaving Chuck alone at the table Sarah went into Mommy Mode and stepped away from her nursing duties. The two boys in her life were going to have to share her attention. Chuck had his time with her and now it was Gabriel's turn to have her for a while.

While Sarah was busy feeding Gabriel Chuck finished his sandwich and surprised her by getting up from the table on his own and started a slow stumbling walk toward the couch. It took him several minutes to travel the short distance, but he did it without any help. Sarah was both proud and encouraged by his accomplishment. He wasn't giving up and he was fighting to get his life back on track.

There were no more major strides that day, but Sarah was pleased with the small measure of progress he did achieve. Chuck had managed to feed himself at lunch today. He did have to dig his hands into the sandwich and nearly crushed it, in order to keep from dropping it, but he had eaten on his own. He still had trouble with silverware, but if he could get past all of the shaking he could do a lot better. Chuck had even been able to travel short distances today and go where he chose and not just wherever someone made him walk. That was enough for Sarah to consider today a success.

The afternoon and evening hours were spent with the children. Abigail came home from school wearing a paper top hat, which she had made as a part of a craft project for President's Day. Immediately upon walking through the door after being dropped off by Grandma Abigail started showing off her creation and telling her about the president who wore the hat.

"Mommy. Daddy. Look at the hat I made today at school," the kindergartner said, pointing to the paper creation on her head. "It's like Abraham Lincoln's hat. He was a president. They put his picture on money. Do you have money Mommy? I want to show you."

Sarah went to go grab her purse so that her daughter could show her a picture of the president. After returning she pulled a five dollar bill out and handed it to Abigail. After that Sarah dug around for a penny after her daughter informed her that his picture was on one of them too.

"That's him! Abigail exclaimed, pointing at the pictures of Abraham Lincoln on both pieces of currency. He's not wearing his hat though. They couldn't fit it on the pictures because he's too tall."

At her daughter's reasoning for why Lincoln wasn't wearing his top hat in his pictures on the money Sarah couldn't help but to smile and chuckle to herself. Chuck too was amused by the idea of the hat not being able 'fit on the money' and he managed the beginnings of a smile. That moment marked the first time that Chuck had been able to control his facial muscles enough to form a smile since this whole terrible ordeal had begun.

The next couple of days were basically the same as Monday had been. There were no major leaps in Chuck's recovery, but he did show minor improvements in the areas where he had shown previous progress. On Thursday afternoon however things were a little different.

Sarah was busy preparing dinner and the girls were in their room playing, even baby Gabriel was in his room sleeping, so Chuck had been left on the couch alone. When he suddenly stood up and walked out of the room his wanderings went unnoticed by the rest of the family who was preoccupied with other activities, except for Felicity, who in the last second caught a glimpse of him walking into the computer room.

Loving computers just as much as her father did the three-year-old ran after him. When she ran into the room Felicity saw her father sitting in the spinning chair, staring at his closed laptop. She knew how to fix that problem.

"I know how to do it Daddy," Felicity said as she climbed into his lap.

Once she got settled Felicity opened the laptop and turned it on. "Are we going to play Daddy?"

After the laptop booted up Chuck pointed to one of the icons on the screen. Understanding that the icon her father was pointing at was the program he wanted to open Felicity clicked on it and soon a blank word document appeared on the screen.

Chuck slowly moved his hand over the keyboard. Then using just a single finger he began typing something on the screen.

As he punched the keys and letters appeared on the screen Felicity named them, and after several letters called out to her mother. "Mommy! Mommy! Come here!"

Hearing her daughter call for her so urgently Sarah dropped everything she was doing and ran toward her.

"In here Mommy," Felicity said after Sarah checked her room and didn't find her.

Before she could ask her daughter what she was doing in her father's computer room Felicity was pointing at the screen. When she looked over at the laptop there were three words on the screen.

'i missed you'

"Did you type that Felicity?"

"No. Daddy did."

"Chuck?!" Sarah said turning away from the screen to look at him and then back to the screen again.

"Write something else Daddy."

Chuck moved his hand back over the keyboard and continued his one-finger typing. Adding onto his previous words Chuck typed the names of every member of his family, including Gabriel.

Sarah's eyes welled with tears as she said, "We missed you too Chuck."

"We missed you a lot Daddy," Felicity said laying her head against his chest and looking up at him.

When Abigail came into the room to see what was going on and asked her mother what she was making for dinner Sarah remembered the food she had left on the stove and hurried back to the kitchen before it could burn. Abigail and Felicity stayed with their father while he continued to slowly type out messages to them. Abigail read the words her little sister didn't know and after each message or question they would respond.

All too soon dinner was ready and the daddy, daughter computer conversation was over. Without his computer Chuck was silent, making it all the more obvious that Chuck still hadn't been able to speak since being rescued. His voice was still locked somewhere deep inside the prison of his body.

After the kids were put to bed that evening Sarah brought Chuck's laptop out to the living room. Sitting next to him on the couch she patiently watched the screen to see what he would type.

About a minute later Sarah had her first message.

'i love you'

"I love you too Chuck. So much."

The next message took a lot longer to type, but Sarah was finally getting to communicate with her husband, so she didn't really care.

"I know," Sarah said responding to the latest message on the screen. "In three days."

Chuck continued to talk to Sarah through the night and into the wee morning hours when they both became too exhausted to continue on. Closing the computer and setting it on the coffee table Sarah helped Chuck to his feet and after checking on Gabriel and the girls one last time they headed to bed. Once Sarah removed Chuck's shoes for him and helped him get under the covers she lay down next to him and within minutes they were both sound asleep.

The next morning Sarah awoke to find Chuck's arm loosely wrapped around her. She didn't want to move, but glancing at the clock Sarah knew she had to get up and start getting her girls ready for the school day and she also knew that Gabriel would be hungry and start crying soon. So even though she wanted to continue to lie in bed with Chuck's arm around her and get more sleep because she was still exhausted after staying up half the night, Sarah crawled out of bed to take care of her children.

Before Sarah could get her girls out of bed Gabriel started crying. Sarah couldn't go to him right away though because she needed to get her daughters up and get them dressed first or they would be late for school. While Sarah was trying to get Abigail and Felicity ready as quickly as she could she heard something clatter to the floor in her bedroom.

At the point where her girls could finish dressing themselves Sarah hurried to her bedroom to see what had happened. There she found that Chuck had slid over to her side of the bed and apparently knocked the baby monitor off the bedside table probably thinking it was an alarm clock, which wasn't completely inaccurate. The baby monitor did act like an alarm clock. Whenever Sarah heard crying come through the speaker she jumped out of bed.

Hearing Gabriel's continued cries, which were coming through the fallen monitor Sarah left the bedroom and headed for the nursery. "I'm sorry baby," Sarah said as she picked her son up. "Mommy got a late start this morning. I was trying to get your sisters ready for school before grandma comes to pick them up."

Gabriel continued to fuss even after being picked up and while Sarah talked to him. "I know you're hungry and want your milk, not to listen to Mommy tell you why I didn't come get you right away. It's okay. You can stop fussing now. I'm going to feed you."

Sarah was still feeding Gabriel when Mary showed up to take the kids to school, so she told her daughters to answer the door and let Grandma in. Mary only came in for a minute to see how everyone was doing before she loaded the girls into her car to get them to school.

When Sarah wasn't taking care of Gabriel or helping Chuck they sat discussing plans for Sunday. They had a lot to figure out and only a short time in which to do it, just a couple of hours in fact. Once the plans had been made Sarah and Gabriel had to go out for a while to see that the arrangements were made so that their plans could come to fruition.

Sunday, February 24 soon came along and everything was ready. Felicity woke up early that morning excited for the day. She immediately sought out her parents and upon finding them proudly proclaimed, "Mommy. Daddy. I'm four today," while holding up the appropriate number of fingers.

"I know sweetie," Sarah answered. "You're becoming such a big girl. Happy Birthday Felicity."

"Is there cake and presents?"

"Of course. We're going to have a little party for you, but not until this afternoon."

It was a very long morning for the now four-year-old Felicity. She was ready for her party and to eat cake and open presents. But finally it was time for all the fun to begin.

The living room and kitchen had been decorated with banners and colorful balloons. A cake featuring mini plastic pony figurines sat on the table and a shiny present with a big pink bow on top sat beside it. Seeing everything Felicity squealed in delight. Today was going to be a fun day.

Everyone gathered around the table while Sarah lit four candles. When all of the candles were lit she and Abigail started singing 'Happy Birthday.'

"Make a wish and blow out your candles," Sarah told her little birthday girl once the song was over.

Felicity closed her eyes and made the biggest wish she could think of. She then filled her little lungs with air and blew her candles out to make her special wish come true. It was her birthday, so Felicity knew that she was going to get her wish. Birthday wishes were magic.

Now it was time to eat some birthday cake. Sarah cut up slices of cake for everyone, giving Felicity the first pick. Gabriel even got a taste of cake when Sarah gathered a tiny dab of frosting on her finger and put it on his tongue. The sweet treat caused the nearly five-month-old baby's face to light up and he gave one his adorable toothless grins.

"Did that taste good baby?" Sarah asked tickling his cheek.

Sarah's amusement continued when she looked up to see Abigail, Felicity and Chuck all with cake on their faces. She didn't have to guess how the messy faces happened. Clearly the girls dug into the cake, making messes of their faces as they always did. And Chuck was still struggling with silverware. Despite the somewhat sad circumstances which led to her husband's messy face, the sight of her family sporting matching cake-covered faces was adorable.

Five minutes later after Felicity finished eating her cake she asked, "Can I open my present now?"

Looking at the frosting that covered her daughter's face and hands Sarah laughed and said, "How about we get you cleaned up first? In fact, how about we clean everyone one up?"

Sarah led the trio of messy Bartowskis to the sink and one-by-one washed the cake off their faces and hands. Once everyone was cleaned up they returned the table so that Felicity could finally open her present.

Felicity sat up on her knees and pulled her present to the edge of the table. After pulling the pretty pink bow off and putting it on her head, she started tearing at the shiny wrapping covering her birthday present. Little-by-little the gift hidden underneath was revealed. When all of the wrapping was removed Felicity found a brand new doll that had blonde hair like hers and who was wearing a pretty pink dress.

"She's so beautiful! Thank you Mommy. I love her."

Jumping down off the chair Felicity ran over to her mother and gave her a big hug. "Thank for my present Mommy," she said a second time showing her appreciation.

After thanking her mother with a hug Felicity turned her attention to her father. Wrapping her arms around her father Felicity said, "Thank you for my dolly Daddy."

Chuck slowly started to return the hug, trying to hold his daughter in his arms. Chuck's arms wrapped around Felicity more and more until he was giving her a real Daddy hug. Chuck held onto Felicity for a long while, not wanting to let her go now that he had finally been able to hug her for the first time.

When the hug ended Chuck looked into his daughter's beautiful blue eyes that looked so much like Sarah's and slowly lifted his hand toward her face. His hand shook as he gently touched her cheek.

It was then that something amazing happened.

"Hap... py... Birth... day… Fe... lic... i... ty. I... l-l-love y-y-you."

His words were slow and stilted, but the words were coming. Chuck had said his first real words and there wasn't one person in the room who wasn't crying.

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><p><em><strong>AN: I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter.**_


	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N: Sooner than you may have expected Chapter 7 has arrived. Enjoy!_**

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><p>Chuck's voice filled the air for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime. Sure he had said Sarah's name a few times before, but that wasn't really speaking. This was and it was beautiful. Making it even more beautiful was that with his first words he had told his daughter that he loved her.<p>

After hearing those words with happy tears streaming down her little face, Felicity threw her arms back around her father and said, "I love you too Daddy."

Meanwhile Sarah was trying her best to keep it together and Abigail ran over to Chuck.

"Daddy, what about me?"

Chuck didn't answer for a long while as though his voice had to recharge. During that silence Abigail's face fell. Maybe Daddy didn't want to talk to her.

Those long, agonizing seconds of silence finally came to an end when Chuck found his voice again. "I... l-l-love... y-y-you... t-t-too... Ab... i... gail."

When he said those words to Abigail the sad expression on her face instantly disappeared to be replaced by a big smile that was adorably missing a bottom front tooth.

That was another milestone Chuck had missed during his time as a captive, his child losing her first tooth. He had missed enough of his kids' lives and he didn't plan on missing any more. Now that he could communicate and moving had become easier he was going to get involved in his children's lives again. He wasn't going to sit around anymore while their lives passed by as he watched from the outside. He was finally going back inside.

Later that afternoon when Felicity was sitting on the couch admiring her new doll and brushing its long blonde hair, everyone else gathered around to talk to Chuck who had pulled his laptop out. Talking was still difficult for him and it took a lot of effort and energy to say just a few words, so he was going to save his speaking moments for words that really mattered, like when he told his daughters that he loved them. For now it was easier for him to communicate through a computer.

Chuck's body no longer shook as vigorously as it used to whenever he tried to move, so he could type a little easier and faster now. He could even use more than one finger, though he still couldn't type the way he used to. But it was more than he could do just a few days ago. The more he worked at something the more easily he was able to get his body to cooperate with him.

'felicity did you have a fun birthday'

Sarah read the typed message aloud and Felicity answered in the affirmative.

'i'm glad that i was here for it. i would have been sad if i missed your birthday. i'm sorry i wasn't here for yours sarah'

"It's okay Chuck. We're just glad to have to you back. The special days you missed aren't as important as the fact that you are here now."

Chuck's fingers began moving over the keyboard again and new words slowly started appearing on the laptop screen.

'sarah, felicity, abigail, i want you all to know that i've heard your words about wanting me to get better and to not stop fighting. i want you to know that i will keep going and i will keep fighting. i want to be a real part of this family again.'

Sarah couldn't read that message aloud because she kept choking on the words. She was barely even able to read it to herself. Instead Abigail tried to read it, sounding out the words she didn't know.

After learning what her father wrote on the computer Felicity set her doll down and sat up on her knees to whisper something in his ear that only he could hear. "_You will get better Daddy. I know so. That's what I wished for."_

Hearing that his daughter had used her birthday wish on him Chuck started to cry. In that moment he became more determined than ever to fight for his recovery. He had to make his little girl's wish come true.

The next day Sarah had to return to work, but Chuck wasn't going to let that impede his recovery. Even without Sarah by his side during the day he was going to continue the work she had started with him. It was going to be hard without her support, but he had made a promise to never give up no matter what and he planned to keep that promise.

Monday morning before Sarah and the kids left Chuck shared an emotional goodbye with them. Finding his voice Chuck said goodbye to all three of his girls individually and did his best to give them real hugs. As the door closed separating them on opposite sides, the watery eyes each had been trying to hide were unleased. Now that Chuck had begun to communicate no one wanted to leave him.

Loneliness set in when Sarah left with their daughters, even having his mother stay with him didn't assuage the feeling of isolation. To quell his loneliness Chuck spent every moment of his day working on his recovery. He worked ten times harder than he had on every other day combined. He was going to make the most of the time he had. If he had anything to say about it Felicity's birthday wish was going to come true.

Most of his morning was spent tucked away in his computer room, as Felicity called it, typing and speaking every word that he wrote. It was very draining, trying to speak so much, but he pushed though. By typing and speaking he was working on multiple areas of his recovery at once and the more he worked the better he was going to get.

Chuck worked on improving his typing skills and speech until Mary knocked on the door and told him that lunch was ready. His mother tried to help him up and get to the kitchen, but Chuck insisted on doing it himself. It was the only way he was going to improve. Chuck wouldn't even let her help him hold onto his silverware or eat. He was determined to do everything himself.

All day, every day while Sarah was at work and his daughters at school Chuck worked on his recovery. Each day Chuck was able to achieve a little progress in one of the areas he worked on. He wouldn't accept anything less.

By the end of his first week of intense work Chuck had shown a marked improvement. His typing skills had grown beyond that of a chimp and even that of a novice. He now sat firmly in an intermediate territory. It was still worlds away from where he used to be in his computer skills, but he had come a long way.

He was walking better as well. He no longer felt like a crippled old man when he walked. He didn't feel quite so unsteady on his feet anymore and was able to move with more confidence. Chuck was still moving a bit slow and he definitely couldn't run or jump or do anything like that yet, but he didn't feel as though his legs would give out and collapse under him anymore either.

While on the subject of feeling steadier on his feet Chuck's body no longer shook nearly as bad whenever he tried to move. His shakes been had reduced to a mild tremble, which made everything so much easier to do.

The area he had shown the least amount of improvement in however was speaking. It did make sense though. That was the newest development in his recovery and the one with which he had the least amount of practice. The only way to change that was to try to talk more.

Friday night after he and Sarah had gone to bed Chuck moved his body against Sarah's and wrapped his arm around her securely, causing Sarah to gasp. Chuck was actually holding her, but what he had in store for her next was even better. He had practiced the words over and over until he could say them clearly. Whispering in her ear Chuck said, "Sarah... I... love... you."

Tears fell from Sarah's eyes and created a salty puddle on her pillow. Not only was Chuck holding her, he was whispering words of love into her ear. It had been nearly a whole year since Sarah last experienced being held in her husband's arms and it was amazing. Within minutes she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Several days later on March 5, exactly ten months from the day he first disappeared, Chuck woke up feeling different, but he didn't know why. He couldn't seem figure out the reason he was feeling the way he was. Sitting up in bed Chuck just sat there trying to figure what was making him feel so differently this morning.

When Sarah passed by the bedroom door a short time later after feeding Gabriel she noticed that Chuck was awake, but not getting out of bed. Stepping into the room Sarah asked, "Hey Chuck, what are you doing?"

Receiving no answer or a response of any kind Sarah ran into the room in a panic. "Chuck?! Chuck?! What's wrong?!" When she continued to receive no response, Sarah waved her hands in front of his face to search for a reaction.

"Sarah?"

Relief washed over Sarah when Chuck spoke her name and looked at her. "What happened Chuck?"

"I'm... not... sure... Something... feels... different."

"Is something wrong?"

"I... don't... know... but... please... don't... cry," Chuck answered as he reached up to wipe the tear from her cheek.

That's when he knew what was causing the feeling he woke up with that morning. He wasn't shaking anymore, not even a little. His movements were smooth and sure. After 305 days it seemed that his body was his again.

"Sarah... look... my... hands... aren't... shaking... anymore."

"Chuck, that's wonderful! How do you feel?"

"I... feel... like... I... have... more... control... over... my… own... body... but... I'm... still... having... trouble... with... my... words... I... know... the... words... I... want... to... say... but... it... is... difficult... to... say... them."

"You're doing fine Chuck. You've come so far already. I see no reason why you couldn't expect to have a full recovery. I have to get the kids to school, so I'll see you this afternoon. Mary will be here if you need anything and you can always call me."

Sarah then left Chuck alone in the bedroom with his thoughts. As he sat on the bed Chuck thought about the goals he had for himself now that the shaking had finally stopped. He wanted to be able to pick and hold things without fear of dropping them. That was the only way he would be able to achieve his ultimate goal.

Chuck's work that day consisted of lifting various items of differing sizes, shapes and weights. He practiced picking the item up, carrying it around for a while and setting it back down. Chuck needed to build his confidence up because he couldn't have any doubts about the stability and reliability of his hands. For what Chuck wanted to hold he had to be certain that there would be no chance whatsoever that he would drop. They were his most precious treasures and totally irreplaceable.

By the weekend Chuck finally felt confident enough to hold his treasures. He was steady on his feet, his grip was secure. He was feeling like his old self again, like the real Chuck.

The first treasure Chuck wanted to hold was his original treasure, Abigail. She was having a birthday next week and he wanted to know if she had any ideas for her special day.

Chuck entered his daughters' shared bedroom and found his girls playing on the floor. Still speaking at a slowed pace he asked his eldest daughter to come to him because he wanted to talk to her. Once the five-year-old was standing in front of him, Chuck bent down and lifted the small child into his arms.

Abigail instantly threw her arms around her father's neck and gave him a tight squeeze. "You picked me up Daddy. Did you get all better now?"

"Daddy. feels. much. better. now. And. Daddy. wants. to. know. what. you. want. to. do. for. your. birthday?"

As Chuck carried Abigail over to the couch she began excitedly telling him all of her ideas for her birthday. She had lots of ideas and she was going to tell her father about every single one of them. Abigail wanted a pony cake like her sister's. The pony toys on that cake were pretty and she wanted her own. She also wanted to invite her friends from school to her party and to have fun games to play.

After Chuck finished talking to Abigail about her birthday Felicity turned to him and said, "Pick me up next Daddy. Please."

Chuck looked at Felicity's little angel face and there was no way he could resist her. So Chuck stood from the couch and scooped Felicity up into his arms. Like her sister Felicity wrapped her arms around her father's neck to hug him tight. "Can we do a piggyback ride Daddy?"

When Chuck said yes to a piggyback ride Felicity squealed in delight. Chuck spun his daughter around until she was in the piggyback position. He then carried her all around the house while she giggled.

For five minutes Chuck carried his daughter around on his back letting her enjoy her first piggyback ride in such a long time. When he finally put her down, Sarah who had been watching Chuck with their daughters, approached holding Gabriel in her arms.

"Do you want to try holding your son now?" Sarah asked.

Sarah's words made Chuck nervous. He hadn't held a baby in years and this would be the first time he ever held his son. "Sarah. I. don't. know. if. I. remember. how. to. hold. a. baby."

It'll all come back to you the moment you have him in your arms. I promise," Sarah said, gently handing the infant over to her husband.

Chuck stood rigidly as Sarah placed the baby in his arms. Seconds later as he looked at the baby in his arms, his son, all of his nerves melted away. Suddenly the fact that he had a son became more real to him now that he was actually holding him. For a long time Chuck just stared at his little boy.

As he gazed at his son Chuck kept whispering his name over and over. "Gabriel. My. son. My. Gabriel."

When Gabriel started to cry a little later Chuck panicked.

"Chuck, it's okay," Sarah said soothingly. "He's not hurt and you didn't do anything wrong. He's probably just sleepy. He usually takes a nap around this time. Do you want to put him to bed?"

"I. don't. remember. how."

"Of course you do. Go sit with him in the rocking chair and gently rock him until he falls asleep. Then just put him down in his crib."

Chuck slowly began walking toward the nursery. He wanted to be extra careful in his movements. He had a baby in his arms and he didn't want to drop him. Reaching the nursery he took great care as he sat down in the rocker to lull his son to sleep.

After a couple minutes Sarah saw Chuck relax. It was starting to come back to him. Chuck was falling back into the role of fatherhood. As she watched her husband rock their son in his arms she wiped a tear from her eyes. It was such a beautiful sight seeing her husband with their son for the first time. To capture the moment Sarah pulled out her phone and snapped a photo.

Several minutes of rocking back and forth later Gabriel had drifted off to sleep. Sarah whispered to Chuck that he could put him down now and he slowly rose from the chair and carried his son over to the crib and gingerly set him down.

"I. did. it. I. put. Gabriel. to. bed," Chuck said proudly after successfully setting his infant son into his crib without waking him up.

"I told you could do it. You still remember how to be a father. You just needed a little practice to remind yourself of what to do."

Chuck turned back to look into the crib where Gabriel was sleeping peacefully. Sarah was right. He was starting to remember what it was like to be a father to a new baby.

"Come on," Sarah whispered, taking Chuck's hand and walking out of the nursery. "We'll let him sleep."

Now that Chuck was starting to feel comfortable with taking care of a baby again he started taking on more responsibility with his son. With Sarah by his side offering support and talking him through everything Chuck changed Gabriel's diapers, gave him his bath that evening and dressed him for bed.

When the girls' bedtime came along a little later Chuck sat with them on Abigail's bed to read them their bedtime story. After he finished reading the story Abigail and Felicity begged him to read them a second story because they hadn't gotten to have story time with Daddy in so long. Giving in to their precious little faces Chuck opened up the second book and started reading.

After story time Chuck scooped Felicity up and tucked her into her bed on the other side of the room, while Sarah tucked Abigail in for the night. Chuck and Sarah then kissed their girls goodnight and wished them sweet dreams.

As the bedroom light was cut off and Chuck was stepping out of the room Felicity lifted her head slightly and said, "I'm happy you feel better Daddy. I love you."

"I love you too," Chuck whispered. "Goodnight sweetie."

Now that all of the children were in bed Chuck and Sarah had some time alone to talk. Sitting together on the couch, Chuck turned to Sarah and said, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything. For helping me with Gabriel and helping me feel like a father again. Thank you for visiting me when I was in the hospital and for taking care of me. Thank you for raising the kids by yourself. Thank you for never stopping loving me. Thank you for being Sarah."

Sarah couldn't say anything. All she could do was cry.

Chuck brushed the tears from her eyes and slowly pulled her face toward his. When their faces were mere inches apart Chuck brushed his thumb across Sarah's lips.

Sarah's body began to tingle in anticipation of what she knew was coming. Chuck was going to kiss her. Every nerve in her body sizzled with electricity as she waited for his lips to touch hers.

"I love you Sarah," Chuck whispered as he moved closer and gently captured her lips.

The kiss was slow and unhurried. This was their first kiss in almost a year and they wanted to savor the moment. This kiss was going to be one they always remembered. Chuck pulled Sarah even closer as the kiss deepened and she got her fingers lost in his hair.

When their lips parted Chuck and Sarah rested against the other's forehead while their lips burned with the sensation from their kiss. For several seconds they sat there, basking in the moment.

Sarah was the first to move. Pulling back to look into Chuck's eyes, she whispered, "I love you."

"And I love you," Chuck whispered back.

As the fog of euphoria from their kiss faded and unclouded Sarah's mind she was struck with realization. "Chuck! You aren't halting your words anymore."

Suddenly it dawned on Chuck as well that his words were coming easier now. He wasn't struggling with them anymore. "I guess reading all those stories to Abigail and Felicity really helped. But right now there is something else I want to do with my lips."

And with that Chuck pulled Sarah in for another slow, sensual kiss.

That night as they got ready for bed Sarah had something on her mind. "Chuck," she said hesitantly. "What do you remember about what happened to you when you were captured?"

Chuck sat next to Sarah on the bed and took a deep breath before he began his story. "I had just gotten to Buy More and I was walking toward the store when three men came up behind me and grabbed me. I didn't even have a chance to fight them off and the next thing I knew I was waking up in a strange room. It was cold and dark and I didn't remember how I had gotten there. They must have used something to knock me out."

"What happened to you there?" Sarah asked as tears flooded her eyes."

"I remember that other than the chair I was tied up in there was no other furniture in the room. I didn't have anywhere to sleep that night and I spent the whole time thinking about you and the girls. You were always in my thoughts."

"They wanted to use me for the Intersect in my head. They had me flash on little stuff at first, mostly about their crew. I guess the wanted to test the Intersect to make sure it worked and that they could trust information. I didn't want to tell them anything, but they must have given me something to compel me to answer."

"Beckman did say they were drugging you to make you cooperate," Sarah replied, her face now stained with tears.

"After that I don't really remember anything else until I woke up in this bed calling your name."

"You don't remember the hospital or being rescued or what happened to you for all of those months you were held prisoner?"

Chuck shook his head. "I didn't even know how long I had been gone until you told me what day it was."

Sarah wouldn't ever know the full story of what had happened to her husband and was wasn't sure wanted to know all of the details. At least if he couldn't remember what happened to him Chuck wouldn't be haunted by reliving the nightmare over and over.

Wrapping her arms around her husband Sarah laid her head on his chest. "I'm so glad that you were found and that you're safe now. I couldn't bear to lose you again. After you were rescued and I learned that you were catatonic and unresponsive it felt like I was losing you all over again. It took a long time, but I finally have my husband back and the kids have their father back."

Life began to return to normal in the Bartowski home. Chuck was running around the yard playing with his girls again. He and Sarah had reaffirmed their love for one another. Gabriel finally had a father.

The fog that once filled the walls had now completely evaporated. Warmth, love and joy now overflowed Casa Bartowski. Their world had finally been put back together and no one was ever going to tear them apart again.

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><p><em><strong>AN: Three years ago on this date Chuck aired its final episodes. Today, we reach the conclusion of this story. I hope you enjoyed both this final chapter and this story.**_

_**My next story will be for another fandom, but that doesn't mean I won't still be writing Chuck fics. I still have plans for the Chuck world.**_


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